Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06

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)

The easiest way to provide a high number of houses in urban areas is to construct tall apartment blocks. I largely agree with this statement, and my point of view will be discussed in the upcoming paragraphs.

To begin with, the majority of people love to live in large cities due to the high number of employment opportunities. The population in urban cities is higher than in rural areas. So, it is important to build tall apartments because many people can easily live there. The benefit of apartments is that, within a small space, large apartments can be built easily. It can also reduce the need for parking spaces because people can park their cars or bikes in the basement. The congestion in the city will be reduced. For example, in normal houses, individuals will park their cars and bikes outside the house, whereas in apartments, people will park in the basement. Due to this, traffic will be reduced and controlled easily.

Furthermore, living in houses requires personal land, so if people build their own houses, many places will be used in the city, which will further lead to congestion in the city. Moreover, it can also lead to paying extra costs for land if a person wants to build their own home. Living in apartments does not require land, so people can easily live there without any much hardship.

Talking about the drawbacks of living in apartments, privacy is the main concern. Few people feel that houses provide more privacy than apartments. They want to live alone in the house without people nearby. Apartments will give a person a good life, but an individual has to share the floor with others.

To conclude, there are several benefits of building apartments in large cities, such as a significant number of people can live there without buying land. The congestion in the city will be reduced as people will park their vehicles in the basement. But privacy is the main concern of living in apartment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you “largely agree” that tall apartment blocks can provide homes in cities. You give relevant reasons, including making efficient use of limited space and reducing the need for individual plots of land, and you acknowledge privacy as a drawback. However, the response only partly develops the central question of whether this is the best way to provide enough homes. The parking discussion takes up substantial space but does not clearly show how apartment blocks increase housing supply, and the privacy point is mentioned without explaining how it affects your overall judgement. To strengthen the response, compare high-rise housing with at least one alternative and explain why your preferred approach is more effective.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two supporting paragraphs, a paragraph on a drawback, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “Furthermore,” and “To conclude” help signal the stages of your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes loose: the first body paragraph moves from employment and population to parking and traffic, without consistently linking each point back to the supply of homes. Repeated references to “congestion in the city” also make the development feel circular. Some connections are asserted rather than explained, particularly the claim that basement parking will reduce traffic. Organise each paragraph around one main reason, then use clear explanation and an example to show how it supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “employment opportunities,” “privacy,” “personal land,” and “congestion.” There are also attempts to vary expression, such as “construct tall apartment blocks” and “provide a high number of houses.” However, the range is limited by repeated use of “city,” “people,” “live,” and “apartments,” and some phrases are imprecise or unnatural. For example, “without any much hardship” and “a significant number of people can live there” do not express the ideas as naturally as they could. More precise housing and planning vocabulary would help you explain your argument clearly. Aim to use accurate collocations and avoid repeating the same general terms when a more specific expression is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some longer structures, including a conditional clause in “if people build their own houses” and a contrast introduced by “whereas.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but control is uneven, especially in longer sentences. For instance, “The population in urban cities is higher than in rural areas” has an unclear comparison, and “people can easily live there without any much hardship” contains an inaccurate determiner construction. The conclusion also shifts between plural and singular forms in “living in apartment.” Sentence patterns are often repetitive, with several statements joined by “so” or “because.” Practise building complex sentences with clear comparisons and check articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries during revision.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.