Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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, many people believe that provide plenty house in large cities is good as compare to build tall apartment blocks. I partially agree with that statement because high rise building can accommodate many people, but they are not the only good solution of these view.

On the one hand, constructing tall apartment block is an efficient way to provide housing in large populated cities. since these building are constructed vertically, they can accommodate a large number of residents without requiring huge areas of land. This is particularly useful in large cities where land is limited and expensive. Moreover, apartment can be build in close to school, hospitals, work places and public transport, which can reduce commuting time and traffic congestion.

On the other hand, I believe tall building can create several problems. Overcrowded apartment block may put pressure on services such as water, electricity, parking, and public transport. In addition, some people prefer living in houses with private outdoor activities, specially families with children. For this reason, government should also consider other solution, such as developing areas and constructing affordable houses in less crowded locations. They can provide suitable alternative to high rise apartment.

To sum up, I partially agree that tall apartment building are an effective way to address the housing shortage in large cities. However, I believe that combination of high rise apartment and I show my view in bodies and giver numerous solution and give good reason. Most important is apartment is located in near work places and public transport.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task, presenting a clear position and putting forward relevant arguments. The introduction successfully states a partial agreement, and both body paragraphs discuss specific aspects of living in tall apartment blocks. However, certain ideas remain somewhat under-developed or briefly stated, such as the mention of pressure on services like electricity and parking in the third paragraph. While the writer outlines reasons and examples, such as land scarcity and proximity to schools, these points lack fully extended explanations. The conclusion introduces confusing meta-language and repetitive phrasing rather than effectively summarising the main arguments. To reach a higher standard, the writer needs to fully develop each supporting point with richer explanation and avoid repetitive or extraneous comments in the final paragraph.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the response into introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate different sides of the argument. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical and referencing is not always completely clear. For instance, transitional phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' are employed to signal shifts in the argument, but the internal links within paragraphs occasionally feel abrupt. The conclusion suffers from disjointed progression, notably with the phrase 'and I show my view in bodies and giver numerous solution and give good reason', which disrupts the flow of the text. To improve, the writer should ensure that cohesive devices connect ideas smoothly and naturally without relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'traffic congestion' and 'accommodate a large number of residents'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies throughout the text, including word choice and word form errors like 'provide plenty house' instead of 'provide plenty of houses', 'high rise building' instead of 'high-rise buildings', and 'apartment can be build in close to' instead of 'built close to'. Spelling and morphological slips are present, yet they rarely impede overall communication. To achieve a higher level, the student should expand their range of less common vocabulary and refine word forms and collocations to ensure greater precision and naturalness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, featuring structures such as conditional and subordinate clauses like 'This is particularly useful in large cities where land is limited and expensive.' However, there are some errors in grammar, articles, plurals, and prepositions that recur throughout the text, including 'high rise building', 'Overcrowded apartment block', and 'developing areas and constructing affordable houses'. Punctuation and verb agreement also show occasional inaccuracies, such as 'apartment is located in near work places'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they prevent the writing from achieving error-free control. To progress, the writer should focus on mastering article usage, subject-verb agreement, and pluralisation within complex sentence patterns.

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