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)

It is often said that the most effective way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build high-rise blocks. I largely agree because tall apartment because it provides accomodation and generates income.

One of the reasons why people build tall apartment block in large cities is because of limited land space. Big cities are widely known for over-population due to the geographical location of infrastrutures and industries. Many people move to the city for greener pasture but lack accommodation because of high population rate For instance, a man who is newly employed in the city might find it difficult to relocation due to limited space. Therefore, building a tall apartment block create space for people to live in.

Another reason reason why people build tall apartment is to generate income. The city area is said to be the most expensive areas to live with. Landlords believe the more apartment their building have, the more revenue they generate. For example, a building with fifteen apartment will generate more income to the owner when each tenant renew their rent. As a result, building a high rise building with more homes helps to increase revenue.

In conclusion, while many believe that the best way to provide enough home in big cities is to build tall apartment blocks, I strongly agree because of the benefits including more revenue for landlords and accomodation availability to the residents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the extent of agreement with building tall apartment blocks in large cities, citing land scarcity and landlord revenue. However, the position is slightly compromised by the under-length nature of the essay, containing only 234 words against the mandatory 250-word minimum requirement. This penalty impacts the overall development of ideas, leaving the arguments somewhat repetitive and lacking broader context. While the main ideas—space creation and income generation—are relevant, they remain somewhat under-developed due to the restricted length and lack of supporting examples beyond basic assertions. Consequently, the task response aligns best with a Band 5.5 descriptor, reflecting a partial address of the prompt with limited and slightly repetitive ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a clear overall structure with a brief introduction, two body paragraphs supporting the main arguments, and a concluding sentence. Paragraphing is utilised appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct concept: land limitation in paragraph two and income generation in paragraph three. However, cohesive devices are somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'One of the reasons why...', 'Another reason reason why...', 'For instance', 'For example', 'As a result'). Referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as in the introduction where the sentence structure breaks down ('tall apartment because it provides accomodation'). Progression is somewhat disjointed at times, leading to an overall evaluation within the Band 6.0 category for coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student employs an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'over-population', 'infrastructures', and 'revenue'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'accomodation' (accommodation), 'infrastrutures' (infrastructures), 'relocation' (relocate), and the redundant phrase 'another reason reason'. Furthermore, collocation is occasionally strained, such as 'greener pasture' (greener pastures) and 'the most expensive areas to live with'. Because these lexical errors do not severely impede overall communication but remain noticeable, the lexical resource corresponds closely to a Band 5.5 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, attempting conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'when each tenant renew their rent', 'while many believe that...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('tenant renew' instead of 'tenants renew'), preposition misuse ('live with' instead of 'live in'), and a major fragmented sentence in the introduction ('I largely agree because tall apartment because it provides accomodation'). Despite these frequent errors, the meaning is generally discernible, placing the grammatical range and accuracy at a Band 5.0 level.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.