Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27
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)
In large cities we should build tall appartment blocks for accommodation of the people. As we know large cities provide better opportunity of income, citizen who belongs to small city is moving towards the
large city, in this way population of the large city is increasing day by day.
One of the major advantages to developing tall buildings is that it consumes valuable space where the cost of space is too much high specially in big markets.It would also be effective for the visitor as well as the people who lived in the city for the purpose of employement. For example, Lahore is a big city and mostly people come in this city for their employement and also some people moved towards this city permanently. The area of Lahore is approximately 1772 Square Kilometer, while urban city covered more than 1014 Square Kilometer. In this way Agriculutre land is decreasing day by day so, we should constructed tall apartments. It would be helpful for farmers, they play vital role in the economy of the country.
On the other hand constructing tall building is always not good idea for conserving urban land. The people who
live in tall building they do not take proper exercise they are unable to enjoye the dazzling rays of sun which
is beneficial for human health.
Overall, I agree that tall apartment blocks can play an important role in solving housing shortages because they accommodate more people while conserving least urban land. Nevertheless, they should not be regarded as the single best solution.
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 with building tall apartment blocks in large cities. A clear position is stated in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. Main ideas are presented, such as land conservation, economic migration to cities, and health implications. However, some ideas are under-developed or touch upon peripheral points without deep extension. For instance, the discussion on agricultural land and farmers is introduced but remains somewhat disconnected from the core housing issue. Similarly, the health points regarding sunlight and exercise are briefly mentioned rather than fully explored. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant, if occasionally under-developed, ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct arguments, such as the advantages of tall buildings versus the disadvantages. Cohesive devices are used to link ideas, such as 'One of the major advantages', 'For example', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen with phrasing like 'citizen who belongs to small city is moving towards the large city, in this way population of the large city is increasing day by day.' Furthermore, some sentences lack smooth internal transitions. This places the response comfortably at a Band 6.0 for logical progression and cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'accommodation', 'conservation', and 'employment'. However, there are notable word-choice errors, spelling mistakes ('appartment', 'employement', 'Agriculutre', 'enjoye'), and awkward collocations like 'cost of space is too much high specially in big markets' and 'conserving least urban land'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they restrict the lexical score. The vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the intended meaning, aligning with the Band 5.5 or 6.0 descriptors. A score of 6.0 is awarded as the leccial range is adequate for the communicative purpose despite inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, such as missing articles ('citizen who belongs to small city'), incorrect verb forms ('we should constructed tall apartments'), and run-on sentences ('The people who live in tall building they do not take proper exercise...'). Despite these errors, the meaning is generally decipherable, and basic structures are usually controlled. The grammatical profile reflects a mix of correct simple forms and flawed complex structures, fitting the Band 5.5 descriptor, rounded to 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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