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)

Providing a enough homes for the growing populations is a major challange in large cities.Some people believe that the best solution is to construct a tall apartments buildings,I partly agree with this statement because high rise buildings can accommodate a many people but they are not only the solution.

One major advantage of tall apartment blocks is that they can save a significant about of land.In large cities,land is often very expensive,so building upwards allows more family to live in the same area.Moreover,apartsment can be constructed near workplaces,schools and public transport which can reduce a time and make daily life more convenient.For example,many densely populated cities such as hong kong use high rise buildings to provide a house for a large number of residents.

However,relying only on a tall builings can also create a numerous problems.High rise areas can became a overcrowded and may have limited green spaces,which can negatively affect peoples quality of life.In addition,some families prefer houses with a garden or more private outdoor space,Therefore,government should also consider that building houses are less crowded areas surrounding major cities.improving public transport between these areas and city centres could make this option more practical.

In conclusion,I agree that tall apartments building blocks are an effective way to provide housing in a large cities because they use limited house land efficiently.

Nevertheless,I do not believe they are the only solution.A combination of high rise apartments,suburban housing and good public transport would be a more balanced approach to meeting the growing demands for home.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by stating a clear position ('I partly agree with this statement') and discussing both the benefits and limitations of building tall apartment blocks. Ideas are generally well-supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning Hong Kong to illustrate high-density housing. The arguments are extended into the second and third body paragraphs, where alternative solutions like suburban housing and transportation improvements are introduced. However, some minor generalizations and slight under-development prevent the response from reaching Band 7.0 fully, particularly in how the counter-arguments are integrated. Nevertheless, the main task requirements are thoroughly covered and the position is maintained consistently throughout the essay, aligning well with the Band 6.0 to 6.5 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately, dividing the introduction, advantages, disadvantages, and conclusion into distinct sections. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'One major advantage', 'Moreover', and 'However'. However, there are noticeable cohesion and referencing errors, such as missing spaces after punctuation marks ('blocks,I', 'city,land'), which make the mechanical aspects of cohesion somewhat faulty. Additionally, referencing and transitional phrases occasionally feel a bit repetitive or clunky ('In addition', 'In conclusion'). These issues place the response firmly in the Band 6 category, where cohesion is generally adequate but lacks the flexibility and smooth integration seen at higher bands.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'densely populated', 'overcrowded', and 'efficiently'. However, there are numerous lexical and collocation errors throughout the text, including article misuse and word form errors like 'a tall apartments buildings', 'a significant about of land', 'more family', and 'provide a house'. Spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'challange' and 'builings', also occur. While these errors do not impede communication and the intended meaning is always clear, the frequency of inaccuracies prevents the response from achieving a Band 7.0. The lexical resource is best described by the Band 6 descriptor, showing a mix of appropriate terms and noticeable lexical flaws.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures appropriately in sentences like '...high rise buildings can accommodate a many people but they are not only the solution.' However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in article usage ('a enough homes', 'a tall apartments buildings', 'a time'), pluralization ('more family', 'tall apartments building blocks'), and punctuation spacing. While complex structures are attempted, they are often marred by minor errors. Despite these issues, the majority of simple sentences are clear, and meaning is rarely obscured. This performance corresponds well to Band 6, where a mix of structures is controlled well enough to communicate the message despite persistent mechanical and grammatical errors.

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

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