Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26

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 4.5)

I strongly agree with this statement because of the rise in population especially since the early 2000’s.Over the time period people are moving from rural areas to urban areas which is increasing the population in large cities.It also affects the traffic and cause road jams.In my point of view constructing large buildings will solve the problem of over population and it can take large number of people in small area because of the apartments on each floor.This will eliminate the idea of homes or property and large houses on main lands.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The student addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position agreeing with the statement ('I strongly agree with this statement'). However, the response is severely limited by its length. At only 91 words, it falls well short of the 250-word minimum requirement for Task 2. Consequently, the ideas are underdeveloped and lack the extension and relevant examples required for higher bands. The mention of traffic and road jams is introduced but not properly connected to the core argument about tall apartment blocks. Due to the extreme under-length and lack of full task development, this response warrants a Band 4.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The text consists of a single paragraph, violating the basic structural requirement of essay writing which expects clear paragraphing with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Ideas are presented in a sequence, but the lack of paragraph breaks and limited use of cohesive devices result in a disjointed flow. Transitions between sentences are abrupt, such as moving from rural-urban migration directly to traffic issues ('It also affects the traffic and cause road jams') without adequate linking. Pronoun referencing is sometimes vague, making it difficult to follow the logical progression. This level of organisation aligns with the Band 4.0 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses a basic and repetitive vocabulary throughout the response. Phrases like 'rise in population', 'large cities', and 'small area' are repeated without much variation. There are noticeable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'take large number of people' instead of 'accommodate a large number of people', and 'on main lands'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey a very basic meaning, the restricted range and frequent limitations place it firmly at Band 5.0, as the vocabulary is barely adequate for the task and lacks precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple and straightforward complex sentences with frequent structural errors. Examples include 'Over the time period people are moving', which exhibits tense misuse, and 'cause road jams', which has a subject-verb agreement error ('cause' instead of 'causes'). There is also a missing comma after the introductory phrase 'In my point of view'. While some simple sentences are accurate, attempts at more complex structures often lead to errors that cause some difficulty for the reader. This performance corresponds to a Band 5.0.

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

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