Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 4.5)

While many people disapprove the idea of putting up high apartment complexes in large cities as a solution to housing shortage, I think it's a good alternative because of its affordability and providing a sense of community

Appartment complexes are significantly much more economical than traditional housing. People in large cities mostly prefer functional houses as they need a place fo crash after coming home from work not a place to boast. Japan built a world record for combating homelessness through building a complex building in their country with 30000 people residing there.

Another reason is tall appartment complexes provide

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is severely under length, containing only 100 words compared to the minimum requirement of 250 words. Furthermore, the essay is incomplete, breaking off mid-sentence in the second body paragraph ("Another reason is tall appartment complexes provide..."). Although the writer introduces a clear position in the introduction agreeing with the statement, and touches upon relevant ideas such as affordability and community, these points remain largely undeveloped due to the truncation of the text. Consequently, the response addresses the task only minimally. According to the descriptors for a Band 4, the writing responds to the task only minimally and fails to develop a complete argument. Future efforts must focus heavily on meeting word count requirements and completing all planned paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The essay displays an attempt at logical organization with an introductory sentence and some body paragraph structure. However, because the text is heavily truncated and incomplete, overall progression is severely disrupted. The second body paragraph breaks off mid-sentence, meaning cohesive relationships and logical sequencing cannot be fully established. Paragraphing is also disrupted by the incomplete structure and excessive spacing in the provided text. Referencing is basic, and while there are some logical links used in the first body paragraph, the overall framework is too fragmented to achieve a higher score. This corresponds closely to a Band 4, where information and ideas are not arranged coherently through to a finished essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The lexical range is limited and basic. The writer attempts some topic-specific vocabulary such as "housing shortage," "economical," and "homelessness," which shows a basic understanding of the theme. However, there are notable spelling errors, such as "appartment" instead of apartment, and inappropriate word choices like "fo crash" instead of "to crash" or "to rest." The vocabulary is repetitive, and the inability to complete the piece restricts the display of a wider lexical resource. Despite these errors, the words used do not severely impede basic communication for the few ideas presented. This performance fits comfortably within the Band 5 descriptor for lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the introductory concessive clause ("While many people disapprove the idea..."). However, there are grammatical errors present, such as missing prepositions or incorrect verb complementation in "disapprove the idea" (should be "disapprove of"). There are also punctuation issues and incomplete sentences, most notably the trailing sentence at the end of the response. While the writer demonstrates some control over basic structures, the frequent errors and incomplete grammar structures pull the score down. This aligns with the Band 5 descriptors, where a limited range of structures is used and attempts at complex sentences often result in errors.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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