Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22

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 argued by some people that construct the tall flat block in big cities is the leading way of provide enough homes. Although some might disagree with this notion, I completely agree with this. Not only because of enough space left for farming and reduce rent price, but also because of the economy benefit.

There are multiple benefit associated with tall apartment. Firstly, enough space left for farming. As tall building not get a more space. Take an example of China, people build a tall apartment instead of single flat for get advantage of large area of farming. Thus, this point proved that tall build is better than build more home.

Secondly, reduce rent price is another reason. As tall apartment blocks make enough home for people as a result rent price are decreased. For instance, Prime Minister of the Japan said they solve the problem of home shortage for people with the help of tall apartment blocks. Hence, tall apartment blocks is best solution of people home problem.

Finally, economy benefit is another reason. As government are able to get more tax because of more flat. For instance, Russia economy significantly increased as a result of build tall apartment blocks.

To sum up, I believe that in the term reduce rent price and enough space left for farm, but also because of economy benefit I completely agree with build a tall apartment blocks in large cities is the best way to provide enough homes for the people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear stance agreeing with the statement that tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide housing in large cities. The essay presents distinct supporting points, such as preserving land for farming, reducing rent prices, and generating economic benefits. However, the development of these ideas remains somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the arguments regarding farming space, rent reduction, and economic benefits are stated rather than fully explored or substantiated with deep analysis. Examples provided, such as the references to China, Japan, and Russia, are generalised and lack specific detail. Despite these limitations in depth, the writer addresses all parts of the task with a discernible position throughout, aligning with the criteria for a band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, utilising an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is frequently mechanical and repetitive, relying heavily on transitional markers like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Finally', and 'As a result'. Furthermore, referencing and logical progression within sentences are occasionally faulty, leading to abrupt transitions and unclear links between clauses. For example, sentences such as 'As tall building not get a more space' disrupt the flow of ideas. While the overall organisation is discernible, the heavy reliance on basic cohesive tools and occasional lapses in logical connection place this response firmly in the band 5.5 to 6.0 range, warranting a 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms related to housing and urbanization such as 'apartment blocks', 'home shortage', and 'rent price'. However, there are frequent errors in word choice, morphology, and collocation throughout the response. Examples include 'construct the tall flat block', 'economy benefit', and 'tall build'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, but these attempts often result in inaccurate word forms or awkward phrasing. While the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main arguments to the reader, the persistent lexical inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making a score of 5.0 appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writing exhibits a very limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on basic sentence frames and repetitive clausal patterns. Attempts at complex sentences, particularly using subordinate clauses beginning with 'as', frequently result in serious structural errors and fragments, such as 'As tall building not get a more space' and 'As government are able to get more tax because of more flat.' Subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and article usage are problematic throughout the text (e.g., 'reduce rent price', 'Russia economy'). These frequent grammatical errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and obscure meaning in several places, which aligns with the descriptors for a band 5.0.

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