Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

In the contemporary world, it is a widely accepted view that the best solution to provide enough residency to every citizen in big cities is to build tall apartments. I totally agree with the statement because it takes less land to accomodate the large number of individuals in an urban setting, and it is easier to manage the facilities.

First of all, tall buildings are built in a way that requires less land as compared to single-story residents. In this way, land is used in an efficient way. Since skyrocketed buildings become home for a larger number of people, these buildings also need less manufacturing material as compared to similar amount of residents being built in an area. For example, to resolve the issue of overpopulation in Dehli, government decided to build tall building. Evetually, it turns into a great plan for the future of the urbanisation.

Secondly, it is easier to handle the facilities in a tall building. As, apartments are constructed in a structured way, pipelines and electricity cables are interconnected to each other in a tall building. It will become easier to manage the water and other basic necessities provided to these tall buildings. Besides, fire sensors are interlinked between the apartments which makes it easier to alert every resident in the case of any fire explosion. Other facilities are monitered and fixed in a similar manner for instance, internet and gas availibilty and so on.

In a nutshell, tall buildings are becoming a better solution to resolve the issue of providing home for a population in big cities. These structures require less land to build, and facilities are managed in a more efficient way.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position agreeing with the statement and providing supporting reasons. The main arguments—efficient land use and easier facility management—are relevant and extended with explanations. For instance, the discussion on how tall buildings require less land and reduce manufacturing material compared to single-story residences shows good task engagement. However, the supporting example regarding Delhi contains spelling inaccuracies and lacks deeper development, remaining somewhat generalized. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0. Given the clarity of the stance and the logical extension of ideas, a band score of 6.5 is appropriate, as some ideas show a minor tendency to be slightly under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. The progression of ideas is logical, moving from land efficiency to facility management. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'First of all,' 'Secondly,' and 'In a nutshell,' though some phrasing feels slightly mechanical. Referencing and paragraphing are generally used sufficiently and appropriately, as each body paragraph focuses on a distinct central topic. While paragraphing and logical flow are clear, the occasional awkward transition and repetitive use of mechanical cohesive devices place this response solidly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms such as 'contemporary world,' 'urban setting,' 'overpopulation,' and 'basic necessities.' There are, however, noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'accomodate' (accommodate), 'residents' instead of 'residences,' 'skyrocketed' instead of 'skyscrapers' or 'sky-high,' 'Dehli' (Delhi), and 'availibilty' (availability). Despite these slips, communication is not impeded, and the student attempts less common vocabulary with varying degrees of success. This profile aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptor, where an adequate range is used with some errors in spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'Since skyrocketed buildings become home for a larger number of people, these buildings also need...' There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, including 'provide enough residency' (residences/housing), 'pipelines and electricity cables are interconnected to each other' (interconnected without 'to each other'), and 'in the case of any fire explosion' (fire outbreak). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but comma splices and minor errors occasionally surface. Because the grammatical errors do not impede overall communication and a mix of structures is attempted, a band score of 6.0 is warranted.

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