Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02

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)

It is often argued that the development of big buildings can cover the need for enough homes for residents in crowded cities, while some people believe that this idea results in bad environmental effects and causes pollution. I strongly agree with this view because less space is needed for multiple apartments, enjoy the privilege of social events and gatherings.

One major reason why I support this view is that there is less need for broad areas for the development of multiple houses, and parks. Marketing strategies, on the other hand, use tall buildings for office establishment. For instance, a famous brand, Khaadi, transforms the big building usage for products such as clothes, home appliances, and jewellery. Therefore, individuals don't need to go to separate shops to buy these items and can buy them under one roof. As a result, they save time for other activities.

Another main reason is that in big and crowded places, they socialize more and participate in multiple activities. Social events are organized by committees in such areas so people know each other rather than isolating themselves. For example, neighbours occasionally celebrate birthdays and religious events together. Moreover, invite others to celebrate their happiness together. Every year, a social culture mela is organized by the domestic committee. People of multiple religions come and enjoy different cultures together despite their background. Therefore, they feel less isolated and enjoy good company.

However, in big cities, traffic jams and pollution are big issues. Noise pollution feel exhausted and leads to stress.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that more social events are a benefical way to get to know each other and that less area is covered by these developments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt partially, taking a clear stance that tall apartment blocks are beneficial because they save space and foster social connection. However, the development of ideas remains limited and under-developed throughout the essay. For instance, the paragraph discussing marketing strategies and department stores like Khaadi digresses into commercial shopping rather than focusing directly on residential housing and urban density. Furthermore, the counter-argument regarding pollution is introduced abruptly in a single, fragmented sentence without adequate expansion. To reach a higher level, every main idea needs to be fully explored and directly connected to the central thesis regarding housing in large cities, avoiding irrelevant tangents about retail stores.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text displays some basic organization, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but it lacks a clear overall progression. While some cohesive devices are attempted, such as 'One major reason' and 'In conclusion', referencing and logical flow are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the transition into the second body paragraph shifts abruptly from housing to commercial shopping, disrupting the logical flow of the argument. Additionally, referencing pronouns like 'they' in phrases such as 'in big and crowded places, they socialize more' lack clear antecedents, making it slightly difficult for the reader to follow who is being referred to. Improving overall cohesion requires ensuring that every sentence logically builds upon the previous one with clear, precise referencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'environmental effects', 'committees', and 'social culture mela', but these attempts are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'bad environmental effects' instead of 'negative environmental impacts'. There are also occasional awkward phrasings, such as 'transforms the big building usage'. While communication is generally maintained, these lexical inaccuracies restrict the score. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of precise, sophisticated vocabulary and demonstrate better control over collocation and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple or awkwardly constructed complex forms. There are frequent grammatical errors that can cause difficulty for the reader, including problems with subject-verb agreement, article usage, and incomplete sentence fragments, such as 'Noise pollution feel exhausted and leads to stress', where the subject and verb agreement is incorrect. Other issues include awkward clause structures like 'moreover, invite others to celebrate their happiness together', which lacks a clear subject. To improve, the writer must practice constructing error-free complex sentences and ensure better control over basic grammar, punctuation, and verb forms.

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

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