Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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 the contemporary era, residence has become a widely debated issue, sparking a considerable debate among individuals. Some people believe that tall apartments are the best way to provide sufficient number of houses in big cities. From my standpoint, I strongly agree with this view as it offers several significant advantages.

To commence with, a compelling reason supporting my viewpoint is that apartments are more convenient and affordable. The is because in larger cities there is a high living cost, so living in apartments has small impact on their expenditures. When individuals live in tall blocks they are more likely to manage their expense and attain superior outcomes. For example, mostly people prefer to live in apartments which may yield far more advantages. Consequently, a large number of people can drive substantial benefits from this approach.

Another noteworthy justification is that living in apartments preserve our land in big cities. The land in big cities is more costly than rural areas. This is because a large number of population lives in urban cities, which create a certain challenges regarding their accommodation. For example, there are huge building such restaurants, schools, universities and hospitals in cities, which make it difficult to manage large number of population. Therefore, the apartment blocks play a pivotal role in proving a greater flexibility and accessibility for residents.

In conclusion, it is argued by some that tall apartments should be constructed in big cities to cover large number of families. Therefore, I strongly agree with this perspective that apartments should be actively promoted in modern cities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear stance in favour of building tall apartment blocks to solve housing shortages in large cities. However, the development of ideas remains limited and under-developed, placing the response in the mid-range. While you introduce relevant points regarding affordability and land preservation, the supporting arguments rely heavily on generalisations rather than deep elaboration. For instance, the claim that apartments have a 'small impact on expenditures' or 'preserve our land' is stated without providing concrete, detailed examples. To reach a higher level, you need to extend your ideas fully by explaining the mechanisms behind your claims, such as how shared utility costs reduce individual financial burdens or how vertical expansion reduces urban sprawl.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct main point like affordability or land preservation. Nonetheless, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. You rely on standard cohesive phrases such as 'To commence with' and 'Another noteworthy justification', but referencing within sentences can be unclear. For example, the sentence starting with 'The is because' contains a mechanical error and disrupts the logical flow. To advance to the next level, ensure that cohesive devices connect ideas smoothly without drawing attention to themselves, and make sure referencing pronouns clearly point to their intended antecedents.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating your core message about urban housing. You attempt less common vocabulary items such as 'contemporary era', 'pivotal role', and 'substantial benefits'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and word form that reflect a limited and repetitive range. For example, writing 'residence has become a widely debated issue' instead of 'housing' is slightly unnatural, and phrases like 'urban cities' are redundant. Additionally, grammatical errors rooted in word forms occasionally occur, such as 'proving' instead of 'providing'. To improve, aim for greater precision in word choice and expand your repertoire of collocation to express complex ideas more naturally and accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms throughout the essay, utilizing structures like relative clauses and conditional-like constructions. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly within complex structures. Noticeable errors include subject-verb agreement issues ('a large number of population lives' instead of 'live', and 'there are huge building') and structural slip-ups like 'The is because'. Articles and plurals also show persistent inaccuracies, such as 'small impact on their expenditures' and 'create a certain challenges'. These errors reflect a limited control over grammatical patterns, though they rarely impede overall communication. To achieve a higher standard, you should focus on eliminating basic errors in agreement, plurals, and article usage while ensuring complex sentence attempts are structurally sound.

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