Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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)

In the recent times the number of people are moving from rural areas to urban areas which cause a rapid increase in population. I believe that high rise building is only way to save the land for agriculture purposes to accomodate the large number of families in single tall building. while i agree that high rise building are practical solution , i disagree that it is the best or only way to solve the housing crisis.

one of the main reason is that land is limited and expensive in cities like Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi because the surrounding land is very expensive. In a tall building hundred of families can easily accomodate because all the facilities are availabe. Flats are cheaper to build and buy than independent houses. saves money for the infrastructure such as single pipe line and electricity line for many families. people can live near the Jobs, universities, and hospital so that why they do not need travel because all facilities are near their. for instance governments were prefer to build tall apartments to solve the housing crisis problem.

On the other hand, relying soley on the tall buildings has significant drawbacks. people in the high rise building are stressful, no gardens, lacks of privacy. Children do not have a proper place to play and there are no connection with other people. Government should develop new satellite town near the cities and also improve the transportation sysytem so that people can easily travel to jobs and universities. The empty warehouse and building should be converted into the residential apartments.

In conclusion, although tall apartmentblocks are a necessary and effeicient part of the solution to urban housing shortages, i believe they should not seen as a single best way. A combinationof high rise construction planned satellites towns , and improved public transport would provide the balanced and sustainable solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the task, presenting a clear position throughout. In the introduction, the writer states that while high-rise buildings are a practical solution for saving land and accommodating families, they are not necessarily the best or only way to solve the housing crisis. Main ideas are supported with relevant reasons and local examples, such as mentioning cities like Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or repetitive, such as the discussion on infrastructure and facilities. The conclusion restates the position and offers a balanced viewpoint. Overall, the performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors because all parts of the task are addressed and a clear position is maintained, though some arguments could have been extended more deeply.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into four distinct paragraphs, providing a coherent overall arrangement. Logical progression is visible as the essay moves from the introduction to supporting points, counter-arguments, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'one of the main reason is that' contains a grammatical slip, and sentences within paragraphs sometimes lack smooth linking devices, relying on simple conjunctions or juxtaposition. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'that why they do not need travel'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas, but cohesive devices need more flexibility and precision to reach a higher band. These features place the response firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like 'urban areas', 'housing crisis', 'infrastructure', and 'satellite town'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, but some inaccuracies occur, such as 'accomodate' (spelling error) and 'soley' instead of 'solely'. Word choice and collocation are occasionally awkward, as seen in 'people in the high rise building are stressful' instead of 'stressed'. Nevertheless, the lexical errors do not impede communication, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, matching the requirements of Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. There are examples of complex structures, such as 'although tall apartment blocks are a necessary and efficient part of the solution to urban housing shortages, i believe they should not seen as a single best way.' However, there are frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization (e.g., lower-case 'i', 'one of the main reason'), subject-verb agreement ('the number of people are moving'), and missing auxiliary verbs ('governments were prefer'). While these errors are noticeable and require the reader to occasionally adjust, they rarely impede overall communication. This performance corresponds to a Band 5.5.

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