Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 5.5)

The best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

As the population of large cities continues to grow, providing enough housing has become a major challenge. Some people believe that the most effective solution is to construct tall apartment buildings. I largely agree with this view because high-rise housing can save land and accommodate a large number of people. However, it should be combined with other forms of housing and proper urban planning.

The main advantage of tall apartment blocks is that they make efficient use of limited land. In large cities, land is often expensive and difficult to find. Instead of constructing houses over a large area, a high-rise building can provide homes for hundreds of families on a relatively small piece of land. This can also help prevent cities from spreading too far into surrounding rural areas. For example, cities such as Singapore have used high-rise residential buildings extensively because of their limited land availability.

Another benefit is that apartment blocks can make public services more convenient. When many people live in one area, governments can provide public transport, schools, shops and other facilities more efficiently. In addition, high-density housing can reduce the distance between people's homes and workplaces, which may reduce traffic and commuting time. Therefore, carefully planned hi

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the extent of agreement with building tall apartment blocks in large cities. However, the essay is incomplete because it stops abruptly mid-sentence ('Therefore, carefully planned hi'). Because it falls short of the 250-word minimum at 227 words, the response is negatively impacted under Task Achievement. The position is clear, and the ideas presented regarding efficient land use and public services are relevant and supported with an example like Singapore. Nevertheless, the lack of a conclusion and the unfinished final paragraph prevent full development of the task. Band score reflects this partial development and length penalty.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization with distinct paragraphs for the introduction and body points. The progression of ideas is coherent, moving from land efficiency to the convenience of public services. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to connect sentences, such as 'Instead of constructing houses' and 'In addition'. However, paragraphing is ultimately incomplete as the second body paragraph trails off and there is no concluding paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, but the truncated nature of the response restricts the overall flow and structural completeness. Band score is awarded based on the clear paragraph organization present before the sudden cutoff.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suited to the topic, including terms like 'high-rise housing', 'urban planning', 'high-density housing', and 'residential buildings'. Word choice is generally appropriate and precise enough to convey the intended meaning clearly, as seen in 'efficient use of limited land' and 'surrounding rural areas'. There are no spelling errors or awkward collocations in the text provided. While there is an attempt to use less common items, the restricted length and vocabulary range limit the score to a solid 6.0, as it meets the criteria for adequacy without demonstrating a wider, flexible range of sophisticated lexical features.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Examples include conditional and subordinate clauses such as 'As the population of large cities continues to grow, providing enough housing has become a major challenge' and 'When many people live in one area, governments can provide public transport...'. Grammar and punctuation are generally well-controlled in the completed sentences, and errors do not impede communication. The main limitation is the unfinished final sentence, which stops abruptly. Despite this, the grammatical accuracy within the written portion is quite strong, justifying a band 6.5.

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