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 apartment blocks for the accommodation of people. As we know large

cities provide better opportunities of income, citizens who belong to small city are moving towards a

large city. in this way population of large city is increasing day by day.

One of the major advantages of developing tall buildings is that they consume valuable

space where the cost of space is too high especially in big markets. It would also be effective for the

visitor as well as the people who live in city for the purpose of employment. For example, Lahore which is a big city and most people come to this city for their employment and also some.

people move towards this city permanently. The area of Lahore is approximately 1,772 Square Kilometers, while urban area covers more than 1,014 Square Kilometers. In this way agriculture land is decreasing day by day so we should construct tall apartments. It would be helpful for farmers, because they play a vital role in the economy of the country.

On the other hand, constructing tall buildings is not always a good idea for conserving urban land. The people who live in tall buildings they do not take proper exercise, and they are unable to enjoy the dazzling rays of the 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 the least urban land. Nevertheless, they should not be regarded as the single best solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and takes a clear position regarding the construction of tall apartment blocks. The main ideas are relevant and supported with specific references, such as the example of Lahore and its urban versus total area measurements. While the counter-argument regarding health benefits and lack of exercise is somewhat simplistic and under-developed, the writer successfully presents a balanced view and concludes with a nuanced stance. The position is maintained throughout the essay. This performance meets the criteria for Band 6.5, but rounding to the nearest whole or half-band descriptor best places it at a solid Band 6, as some ideas remain slightly under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with logical sequencing of paragraphs, moving from an introduction to causes, advantages, counter-arguments, and a final conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in repetitive transitional phrases like 'In this way'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'The people who live in tall buildings they do not take proper exercise', which features a double subject error. Overall, the organizational structure is clear enough to follow easily, which aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'accommodation', 'opportunities of income', 'agricultural land', and 'housing shortages'. There are some awkward phrasings and word choice inaccuracies, such as 'small city' instead of 'small cities' or 'rural areas', and 'cost of space' instead of 'land prices'. However, these lexical errors do not impede communication, and the writer makes successful attempts at less common vocabulary, justifying a Band 6 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional and dependent clauses such as 'As we know large cities provide better opportunities of income, citizens who belong to small city are moving towards a large city.' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, including comma splices, missing articles ('in large cities', 'in city'), and faulty referencing ('The people who live in tall buildings they do not take proper exercise'). Nonetheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout, fitting the Band 6 descriptor profile.

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

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