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)
Building tall skyscrapers is an effective way to provide enough houses to people in large cities. I partially agree with the given situation and my opinions will be discussed in the following paragraphs.
On the one hand, tall buildings help many people to stay in a small area. As long buildings will have many floors having many apartments on the same floor will provide housing to a large number of people in a small area than desired. Limited area usage can be effective for proper use of urban space. More houses can be introduced in the same building as well. In the skyscraper, many basic amenities can also be provided to save the land in urbanized cities. Gym, swimming pools and other activities that requires different space can be introduced in these housing buildings which in turn limit the use of land.
On the other hand, high-rise buildings can concentrate huge number of individuals to a specific place. In turn, the pressure on infrastructure increases day by day. Many builders will use cheap quality of material in building these types of building and the infrastructure of that building becomes not suitable for a high number of people. Traffic is also an issue that will increase due to these residential complexes. As many numbers of people start living in the premises, they will start parking their vehicles in the desired parking of the building. This can create a crowd on the road and even in the complex.
To conclude, although building skyscrapers will help to reduce the usage of area of these large cities, it can create many problems as well. A large number of people will get concentrated in a same building which can increase the pressure on the infrastructure of the building.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the extent of agreement regarding the use of tall apartment blocks to provide homes in large cities. The writer presents a clear position of partial agreement in the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. Both the advantages, such as efficient land usage and integrated amenities like gyms and swimming pools, and the disadvantages, including infrastructural strain and traffic congestion, are explored. However, some ideas are slightly repetitive or under-developed, particularly the elaboration on infrastructure and parking issues. The arguments are relevant and support the overall thesis, fitting comfortably into the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introductory paragraph, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude', which helps guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and transitions are at times mechanical or repetitive, and some sentences lack seamless connection, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Overall, the logical progression is clear enough to satisfy the requirements for a Band 6.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as 'urban space', 'basic amenities', 'infrastructure', and 'residential complexes'. There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices and collocations are slightly unnatural, for example, 'provide enough houses to people' instead of 'provide enough housing for people', and 'concentration of individuals to a specific place'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and errors do not impede communication. This performance aligns well with the criteria for Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, with attempts at relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'As long buildings will have many floors...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, including tense issues ('as long buildings will have') and prepositional errors ('concentration of individuals to a specific place'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are noticeable, they rarely impede communication. The control of grammar corresponds to a Band 6 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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