Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-24

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)

Nowadays, provide enough homes in large cities is a widely discussed issue. Some people agree with this idea that the best way to provide homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks, while some disagree. In my opinion, I completely agree with this statement for several reasons.

The first reason why I agree is that tall apartment buildings can provide homes for large number of people as compared to the small area. This is especially useful in crowded cities where land is expensive and limited. Instead of using large areas of land for houses, many apartment can be built on the same piece of land. For example, in cities such as Hong Kong, many people live in high rise buildings because there is limited space for new housing.

Another important reason is that relying only on tall buildings may not be the best solution. High rise apartments can be expensive to construct and maintain. They can also put pressure on public services such as roads, schools, hospital and public transport. In addition, some people may prefer houses with gardens because they provide more privacy and space. Therefore, cities should also consider building smaller houses and developing areas outside overcrowded city centers.

In conclusion, i completely agree that tall apartment blocks are an effective way to increase the number of homes, but they should not be the only solution. A combination of high rise apartments and other types of housing would be more practical for large cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses the prompt by discussing the role of tall apartment blocks in solving urban housing shortages. However, the response presents a contradiction in the third paragraph, where the writer states that relying only on tall buildings may not be the best solution and lists drawbacks, which somewhat conflicts with the definitive stance taken in the introduction and conclusion that they completely agree with the statement. Ideas are generally relevant and supported with an example regarding Hong Kong, but the development lacks depth in places. Additionally, the response falls slightly below the required 250-word minimum, containing only 248 words, which attracts a slight penalty for task achievement under length requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is organized into four distinct paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'The first reason why I agree', 'Instead of using', and 'In addition'. However, referencing and paragraph flow are slightly disrupted by the body paragraphs; paragraph two argues solely for tall buildings, while paragraph three introduces counterarguments and caveats that blur the clarity of the student's stance. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but overall progression suffers slightly from the conflicting arguments within the body section.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating appropriate terms such as 'overcrowded cities', 'expensive and limited', and 'public services'. There are some word choice and grammatical formulation errors in vocabulary, such as 'provide enough homes in large cities is a widely discussed issue' (gerund usage error) and 'many apartment can be built' (singular/plural noun mismatch). Less common vocabulary is attempted with mixed success. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, featuring relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'Nowadays, provide enough homes' where a gerund or noun phrase should be used, 'large number of people' missing the article 'a', and 'hospital' missing pluralisation in a list of plural nouns. Despite these frequent errors, the meaning is generally clear, and the errors rarely impede communication.

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