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)

There is a common understanding that tall apartment buildings are one of the best possible options for residents in metropolitan cities. I partially agree with this statement because tall apartments are one of the most efficient ways to manage urbanization, but they also have certain drawbacks that cannot be overlooked. Following is the explanation of my statement.

First and foremost, tall apartment buildings can assist in limiting urban sprawl. Urban sprawl happens when cities grow horizontally, instead of vertically. With vertical growth, multiple issues arise, such as, poor distribution of utility facilities like water pipeline, grid infrastructure etc. In closed communities, the distance from work or entertainment is also less, so people can get there in less time. It can also reduce overall fuel consumption which is good for enviornment. In case of Lahore, Pakistan, the city is expanding at a rapid pace. Since the independence of Pakistan, the city's size has doubled that is causing tons of management issues.

Tall apartments does not always have benefits either. With high-rise apartments, the surrounding areas can get congusted. High traffic during peak mobility hours can make matter worse since most of the people are living in small spaces. Furthermore, houses have proper ventilation and sunlight but apartment lack this. This can reduce the wellbeing of people living in small spaces because there is less breathing space for them.

In conclusion, I agree that tall apartments are effective way to manage urban cities and there is no better alternative available. Despite all of the benefits, there are some disadvantages associated with them also. In the end, advantages overweigh disadvantages and currently there is no better solution available.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task by presenting a clear position that agrees partially with the prompt, discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of tall apartment blocks. However, some ideas are under-developed or lack sufficient extension. For instance, the mention of urban sprawl in Lahore, Pakistan, introduces a relevant personal example, but it remains brief and is not fully connected back to the central argument about housing solutions. Similarly, the discussion regarding ventilation and sunlight in apartments is introduced without deeper elaboration or supporting evidence. While all parts of the prompt are touched upon, the lack of full development and supporting details keeps the response at this level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the benefits of vertical growth versus the drawbacks like congestion and lack of breathing space. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or relies on basic transitions, such as 'First and foremost' and 'Furthermore'. Referencing is occasionally slightly unclear, and logical progression between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a higher level of cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'urbanization', 'urban sprawl', and 'infrastructure'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'enviornment' instead of environment, 'congusted' instead of congested, and 'overweigh' instead of outweigh. Some awkward collocations also appear, such as 'apartment lack this'. These errors do not impede overall communication, but they restrict the lexical score by demonstrating occasional inaccuracy in spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied sentence structures. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with subject-verb agreement and plurals, such as 'Tall apartments does not always have benefits' and 'apartment lack this'. Additionally, articles and prepositions are occasionally misused within grammatical patterns. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they occur often enough to reflect limited control over complex structures.

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