Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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 today's rapidly growing world, the construction of tall buildings shows the strong significance of modern development. While it is often argued that constructing tall buildings is the most effective way to provide sufficient homes in large cities. I partly agree with this view because high-rise buildings can accommodate many people in a limited area, but other forms of housing are also essential.

One major reason why I agree is that they make efficient use of land. This is largely because large cities usually have limited land available for residential development, while their population continues to grow. High-rise building allows thousands of citizens to live in a relatively small area. For instance, a 30-storey modern apartment building can accommodate millions of people on the same piece of land and provide essential services.

Conversely, skyscrapers cannot provide a complete solution because constructing high-rise buildings alone may put too much pressure on existing infrastructure such as roads, public transport and schools. Likewise, some people may prefer to live in an open and low-rise communities so they get a better quality of life.

In my view, high-rise buildings in suburban areas are quite expensive, as they are not affordable for low-income residents. Constructing medium-rise apartments can lead to better management of public transport, connecting outer areas to city centres. As a result, cities should adopt a balanced housing strategy rather than depend entirely on skyscrapers.

To conclude, although high-rise building are efficient way to accommodate growing urban populations and provide modern facilities to people. Nevertheless, a combination of well-planned infrastructure and different housing types provide a more sustainable approach for large cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position ("I partly agree with this view") and discussing both the benefits of high-rise apartments regarding land efficiency and the drawbacks regarding infrastructure and lifestyle preferences. Main ideas are supported with relevant arguments, such as accommodating many citizens in limited spaces and the potential strain on public transport and roads. However, some ideas contain slight exaggerations or logical slips, such as stating that "a 30-storey modern apartment building can accommodate millions of people on the same piece of land," which is mathematically unrealistic. Nevertheless, the position is well-maintained throughout, aligning comfortably with the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct paragraphs dedicated to agreeing with the prompt, discussing limitations, exploring alternatives, and concluding. Cohesive devices are generally deployed well, using transitional phrases such as "One major reason", "Conversely", and "In my view". However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty; for instance, the introductory sentence fragment "While it is often argued that constructing tall buildings is the most effective way to provide sufficient homes in large cities. I partly agree..." creates a punctuation error and disrupts smooth flow. Furthermore, the final sentence contains a grammatical glitch with cohesive linking ("Nevertheless, a combination... provide").

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terminology such as "residential development," "high-rise building," "infrastructure," and "urban populations." There are attempts to use less common items, and meaning is generally clear throughout the text. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as "millions of people" (instead of thousands for a single building) and minor phrasing issues like "open and low-rise communities" instead of "open, low-rise communities." Repetition of terms like "buildings" and "construct" also occurs. These lexical limitations cap the score at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. Examples of successful complex structures include "While it is often argued that..." and "This is largely because large cities usually have limited land available...". However, there are several noticeable grammatical errors and punctuation flaws. In the introduction, a dependent clause is punctuated as a complete sentence ("...large cities. I partly agree..."). In the body paragraphs, there are subject-verb agreement errors, such as "High-rise building allows..." (should be buildings), "high-rise building are efficient way..." (should be buildings are an efficient way), and "a combination of... and... provide" (should be provides). These errors occasionally require the reader to re-read, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.

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

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