Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03
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 world, some people believe that the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks. I partially agree with this view because tall buildings allow people to reside in cities despite of fewer number of accommodations and the small percentage of land available. However, there are many other ways to provide accommodations such as destroying forests and making use of leftover lands.
Firstly, tall apartment blocks allow a large number of people to reside in a particular city. This is because people often migrate to large cities for getting a good job and they may find it difficult to search an accommodation in these areas. Thus, tall buildings can accommodate a large number of people. Secondly, this view can be considered the best way because of the smaller proportion of land available in the cities. Some cities can consist of a large number of industries and shops which make it difficult for providing land for accommodations.
On the other hand, there are many other approaches like destroying the forests to make way for accommodation. Cities may consist of forest areas, which can be destroyed to provide an accommodation to an individual. Thus, this is another way to provide homes to people. Additionally, the government can make use of leftover lands to construct houses for residents. Some cities may have this type of area which is unused for years, so this area can help in providing homes.
In conclusion, I partially agree that the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall buildings because this can provide accommodations to a large number of people and the insufficient amount of land available in cities. However, there are other approaches such as destroying forests and using leftover lands that help in provideing enough homes.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task, presenting a position with relevant ideas, though some aspects are more fully developed than others. The student successfully argues that tall apartment blocks help accommodate a large number of people given limited land, and also introduces alternative solutions such as utilising leftover land and destroying forests. However, certain ideas remain somewhat under-developed or simplistic, such as the counter-argument regarding deforestation, which lacks depth or realistic consideration of urban planning principles. The position is generally clear throughout the essay, fulfilling the basic requirements of the task while leaning towards a partial agreement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion logically. Each body paragraph begins with a clear topic sentence, such as 'Firstly, tall apartment blocks allow a large number of people...' and 'On the other hand, there are many other approaches...'. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, particularly in the reliance on basic transition words like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Additionally'. Referencing and logical progression are generally maintained, but the flow between sentences can occasionally feel predictable rather than fluid.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms like 'accommodate', 'migrate', 'urban', and 'infrastructure'. There are, however, noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For instance, phrases like 'search an accommodation' (instead of 'find accommodation' or 'search for accommodation') and 'provideing enough homes' show issues with word form and spelling. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but occasional lexical errors and slightly unnatural phrasing prevent the response from achieving a higher level of precision and control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use subordination and relative clauses. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly involving prepositions and articles. Examples include 'despite of fewer number of accommodations' (incorrect prepositional usage and article omission) and 'difficult for providing land' (incorrect prepositional complement). While these errors do not severely impede communication and the general meaning remains clear, the frequent occurrence of grammatical slips in complex structures keeps the control within a moderate band.
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