Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19
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 5.0)
The rapid growth of urban populations has created a serious demand for housing in many large cities. Some people believe that constructing tall apartment buildings is the best way to provide enough homes. I largely agree with this view because high-rise buildings can accommodate many people while using a relatively small amount of land. However, other housing solutions can also be useful.
One major advantage of tall apartment blocks is that they make efficient use of limited land. Large cities often have expensive land and a growing population, so building houses on a large area of land may not be practical. In contrast, a high-rise building
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The student has attempted the task by introducing a clear position regarding the construction of tall apartment blocks, as seen in the statement 'I largely agree with this view'. However, the response is severely incomplete, reaching only 106 words against the mandatory 250-word minimum specified in the task instructions. Because the response is cut off mid-sentence and fails to develop the body paragraphs fully, it cannot be considered a fully developed essay. Due to this major shortfall in length and task completion, the response is penalised under Task Achievement and falls into the lower bands.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
Despite the severe length limitation, the text demonstrates a logical opening and a coherent introduction and first body paragraph. The student uses standard introductory phrasing such as 'Some people believe' and transition words like 'However' and 'In contrast' to establish relationships between ideas. Paragraphing is initiated properly, but the sudden termination of the text prevents any assessment of overall progression, a clear conclusion, or extended cohesive devices. The organizational structure shown so far is logical, but the lack of completion limits the score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used in the student's response is natural and appropriate for the topic, including useful lexical items such as 'rapid growth', 'urban populations', 'accommodate', and 'efficient use of limited land'. The phrasing is clear and demonstrates an adequate range for communicative purposes. Although the limited length restricts the opportunity to showcase a wider variety of advanced or uncommon academic vocabulary, there are no lexical errors present in the extracted text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates good control over basic and moderately complex sentence structures. Sentences such as 'The rapid growth of urban populations has created a serious demand for housing' and 'One major advantage of tall apartment blocks is that they make efficient use of limited land' are grammatically accurate and well-constructed. The grammar is entirely error-free within the provided text, but the severe brevity of the sample prevents the demonstration of a wider variety of complex structures across a full essay.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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