Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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, people think that the great way to provide enough homes in substantial cities is to contruct tall apartment blocks. There is both pros and cons for this way but the advantages outweighs the disadvantages.In this essay, I will discuss the both positive and negative impacts.

Firstly, if we see the benefits of making large apartment blocks is giving houses to alot of citizens by covering less surface area. In this case, inhabitants can afford to have their own house because many of the schemes include lease system. So, the person have their own house by investing a low amount at once or having it on lease.

For example, If one person wants to build his own house. He has to buy the land first and get his registration from the administration or state. Then he will hire labours to construct his house and also it will take alot of time to build. On the other side, he only has to invest his money and the company is responsible for the construction.

From my example it is clearly noticed the benefits outweighs the negative impacts.

Secondly, we can also consider the cons in this Essay. Accordig to me, the positive impressions are more than negative impressions. The bad thing is the person is totally dependant on the company and there is also a risk of Fraud to be happen. But this challenge can be overcome by signing the legal terms and conditions under the government.

At the last, I conclude that the advantages are more than negative impressions. In my opinion, I totally agree that the best way is to make large apartment blocks in the big cities for providing enough Residencies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing the extent of agreement regarding tall apartment blocks. The student takes a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, stating, 'the advantages outweighs the disadvantages.' Main ideas are presented, such as providing affordable housing on less surface area compared to individual house construction. However, the development of these ideas tends to be limited and slightly repetitive, relying on general assertions rather than fully elaborated examples. For instance, the comparison between building an individual house versus buying an apartment is introduced, but it lacks depth and precise real-world examples. While the prompt is adequately answered and a clear stance is maintained throughout, the reasoning remains at a Band 6 level due to under-developed support and minor generalizations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible progression of ideas. Paragraphing is attempted, with distinct sections for the introduction, body paragraphs addressing benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. However, paragraphing is sometimes abrupt or fragmented, such as the single-sentence paragraph 'From my example it is clearly noticed the benefits outweighs the negative impacts.' Cohesive devices are used, including standard transitional markers like 'Firstly,' 'Secondly,' and 'At the last,' but referencing is occasionally imprecise, and logical links between sentences can be mechanical. For instance, 'For example, If one person wants to build his own house' is punctuated incorrectly with a full stop instead of a comma. Cohesion is functional overall, earning a Band 5.5 to 6.0, best represented here at 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'inhabitants,' 'administration,' and 'construction.' However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. Examples include 'substantial cities' instead of major or large cities, 'contruct' (spelling error), 'alot' (non-standard), and 'Accordig' (spelling error). Furthermore, phrases like 'risk of Fraud to be happen' show unnatural collocation and phrasing. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the writer's basic points, the presence of these recurring lexical and spelling errors keeps the score at a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures and relative clauses (e.g., 'if we see the benefits', 'If one person wants to build his own house'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent, with frequent errors that occasionally strain comprehension. Subject-verb agreement errors are present, such as 'the advantages outweighs' and 'the person have'. Punctuation and capitalization errors also occur frequently, including lowercase letters at the start of sentences ('Accordig', 'At the last') and inappropriate sentence fragments. Due to the limited control over complex structures and the density of basic grammatical errors, the performance aligns with Band 5.0 descriptors.

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