Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-29

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 this era of urbanisation, the demand for accommodation has been increasing everyday. To fulfil the needs of homes, flats and smart homes are the crucial way to provide enough space for living in urban areas. I completely agree with this notion and will discuss my views in upcoming paragraphs before going to a well suited conclusion.

To begin with flats and smart blocks or apartments are very popular place to live in metro cities which are well known for their opportunities and crowded areas. To elaborate this, although big cities give jobs and better living standards, the public attractions to these places led to the shortage of accommodation. Additionally, the overcrowded colonies do not compete with the facilities provided by the flat management. To resolve this issue, flats provided a better opportunity for those people who wants to migrate in the big cities and keen to have a home according to their taste. It also gives several benefits for people, for instance, the people living in flats can socialise with each other in the times of need. Also it has a management system who has the responsibility to decide the rules and regulations for better living and security for its people.

Further shifted towards another benefits, flats and apartments are much affordable compared to colonies or other living areas of urban cities. The expenditure for the construction is relatively less, therefore the buyers can easily afford these types of homes in big cities. To exemplify form data, the Times of India posted an article a few months ago, which shows that around thirty five percent of total global population rated positively for flats or apartments in the terms of affordability in large or metro cities.

To conclude , I completely agree with the above notion by considering the evidence and implications. It is clear that this perspective is crucial for building better accommodation in large cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The candidate addresses all parts of the prompt by stating a clear position of complete agreement with the statement that tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide enough homes in large cities. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Main ideas regarding affordability, socialisation, and management are introduced and supported with explanations. However, the development tends to be somewhat superficial and repetitive at times. For instance, the reference to data from the Times of India is vague and functions more as a general assertion rather than a fully developed specific example. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing the response securely in Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as living benefits and economic affordability. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and faulty. Phrases like 'Further shifted towards another benefits' are awkward and grammatically incorrect, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'it has a management system who has the responsibility'. While logical progression exists, the overuse of awkward transitional phrases prevents the response from achieving a higher band. Coherence and cohesion align with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The candidate uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'urbanisation', 'accommodation', and 'affordability'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation throughout the text. Examples include 'public attractions to these places' instead of 'attraction of people to these places', 'metro cities' used repetitively where 'metropolitan areas' or simply 'cities' would be more natural, and 'rated positively for flats' rather than 'expressed positive views about flats'. Spelling is generally accurate, but lexical control is inconsistent, pointing to a Band 6.0 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. However, the text contains frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Examples of errors include subject-verb agreement issues ('flats provided a better opportunity', 'the people living in flats can socialise... Also it has a management system who has'), preposition misuse ('rated positively for flats... in the terms of'), and awkward relative clauses ('people who wants to migrate'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 6.5, making Band 6.0 the most accurate reflection.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.