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)

To some extent, I agree that building high-rise apartments in a country's metropolitan cities is an efficient way to provide enough housing for citizens; however, tall apartments come with their own disadvantages as well.

As a person who resides in an apartment, I believe that high-rise buildings are indeed an efficient way for 4 different families to reside in a single, equal land space. These plazas give people a sense of community. It requires less land space for people to build their homes. Since the larger cities are overpopulated, these apartments play a crucial role in a person's life who is unable to afford a home in the larger cities.

However, the high-rise apartments come with greater risks; one of the major issues for the larger cities is the sewerage system and drainage being blocked due to a larger number of citizens residing on a single piece of land, which results in road blockages and citizens suffering from the consequences. Environmental pollution is also another reason I don't likely agree with the point the car and motorcycles produce poisonous gases, and the loud noises of the citizens surrounding you result in a lack of mental peace. Another potential reason could be airplane strikes; the high-rise buildings are exposed to airplanes if the buildings are built near an airport.

To conclude, the statement carries a contradictory opinion. If the infrastructure is correctly designed and the buildings are built properly, people might consider them a good choice to live in. However, these high-rising building are convenient for a few, but they do become a burden for others.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear, nuanced position ('to some extent, I agree') and discussing both advantages and disadvantages of high-rise apartments in metropolitan cities. Ideas are generally relevant, such as community living, land-use efficiency, infrastructural pressure, and environmental pollution. However, some arguments lack full development or rely on slightly weak logic, such as the mention of 'airplane strikes' as a major general disadvantage. Furthermore, the point about housing four different families in a single equal land space is somewhat restricted. Nevertheless, the position is maintained throughout, placing this securely at a Band 6.0 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing distinct themes, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'however', 'since', and 'to conclude'. However, referencing and logical progression are occasionally faulty; for example, the transition into personal experience ('As a person who resides in an apartment') introduces a somewhat anecdotal and disjointed shift in tone. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate advantages from disadvantages, but internal paragraph cohesion could be smoother. Overall, this demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6.0 cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'metropolitan cities', 'overpopulated', 'infrastructure', and 'contradictory opinion'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'I don't likely agree', 'equal land space' (when referring to footprint), and 'high-rising building' instead of 'high-rise buildings'. While spelling is generally accurate and communication is never impeded, these lexical slips and limitations prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 6.0 the most appropriate score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a reasonable attempt at subordination with words like 'Since', 'if', and 'although'. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, including 'a person's life who is unable' (misplaced modifier), 'the car and motorcycles produce' (singular/plural mismatch), and 'high-rising building are convenient' (agreement error). Despite these frequent minor errors in grammar and punctuation, they rarely impede communication, allowing the essay to meet the criteria for a Band 6.0.

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

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