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)

In recent time, several individual believes that construction of high rise buildings provide enough space for homes in densely populated cities. I partially agree with that statement, because every initiative has its own merits and demerits, so, its vital to have prior knowledge about that initiative to minimize the drawbacks and make it beneficial for natives.

Firstly, the apartments are budget friendly as compare to the owned built home in terms of rent, utility, management and maintenance charges. moreover, the people residing could have the better opportunity to socialize with each other during the evening times, when their kids are likely to busy in playing in the designated play area of that building block. Also, It showed that children of apartments have recorded better communication skills then of other owned house societies children.

On the other hand, these soared buildings are entirely made up of concrete which reduces the oxygen penetration into the walls by which the natives inhale less oxygen by the lungs limit which leads towards the several health issues and pulmonary diseases like Asthma etc. moreover, it might be challenging for elderly people and injured adults to climb those hefty stairs of apartment.

To conclude, I believe every individual has its own opinion or perspective in term of fabrication of tall apartments to have vide range of homes in populated suburbs. It has positive impact towards those natives whose income is hand to mouth due to those flats are available at reasonable cost. In contrast, it may lead towards the several health issues and might be difficult for elderly natives to commute in that high rise building.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the task, presenting a partial agreement position regarding the construction of high-rise apartment blocks. The main ideas are relevant and supported by reasoning, such as affordability and social opportunities on the positive side, and health concerns and accessibility challenges on the negative side. However, the development of ideas tends to be slightly superficial, particularly in the conclusion which repeats earlier points without adding deep extension. For example, the mention that tall buildings reduce oxygen penetration into walls and lead to pulmonary diseases is scientifically unconventional and limits the depth of the argument. Nevertheless, a clear position is maintained throughout, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs addressing opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Firstly', 'moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the phrase 'then of other owned house societies children' is awkward and disrupts the logical flow. Additionally, referencing pronouns like 'it' in the sentence 'It showed that children...' lacks a clear antecedent. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the transitional links can feel formulaic, placing this response firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'densely populated', 'budget friendly', 'socialize', and 'pulmonary diseases'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation. Examples include 'several individual believes' instead of 'several individuals believe', 'owned built home' instead of 'individually built homes', 'soared buildings' instead of 'soaring buildings', and 'vide range' instead of 'wide range'. While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect the limitations characteristic of Band 5.5 or 6.0. The attempt to use varied vocabulary is evident, but lexical control needs improvement for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate conjunctions. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('several individual believes', 'It showed that children...'), articles ('the apartments', 'the children'), and prepositional use ('in term of' instead of 'in terms of'). Additionally, some sentence structures are awkward and non-standard, such as 'due to those flats are available at reasonable cost'. While these errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and demonstrate weak control over complex structures, simple sentences are generally understandable, placing the grammar at a Band 5.0 level.

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

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