Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-07

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 increasing population has demanded to build tall apartment blocks in large cities. Few people believe that the tall building provide enough space for increasing population. I totally agree with this statement as large apartment blocks can fit bigger population fulfilling their needs. However, they have to build alongside other types of building.

One major advantage of tall building is they can provide large number of home relatively in small area. Nowadays, land in major cities is so expensive so people can design their room without occupying excessive land. For example, cities like sydney has so many taller building which has helped so many immigrants to find the housing.

Another benefit of tall apartment is people can utilize the land for agriculture. They can grow vegetables and crops in the barren land. In contrast, apartment blocks will make people live closer and make public transport efficient and accessible. As a result, people have to travel less to go to work.

However, I don't believe tall building is only the solution. Poorly planned building and construction has created overcrowded and lack privacy. There are some families who prefer house with enough space like backyard and gardens. Therefore, large cities should provide with proper house plan and managed communities. Proper space with facilities should be included for the quality of life.

In conclusion, I belive the house should be build with proper management so that it will reduce urban expansion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that apartment blocks can help house growing urban populations, while recognising they should not be the only housing option. You give relevant reasons, including efficient land use, access to public transport and the needs of families who prefer gardens. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained: the claim that apartment living allows land to be used for agriculture, for instance, needs a clearer link to how this would provide enough homes. The response also contains 238 words, below the required 250, so the discussion has limited room to develop its examples and qualification. Extend one or two key points with specific explanation or evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two paragraphs presenting advantages, a paragraph qualifying your position, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “In contrast,” and “As a result” help show relationships between ideas. The overall progression is understandable, but some connections are not fully logical or clear. In particular, the shift from agriculture to public transport in the third paragraph is abrupt, and “In contrast” does not clearly express the relationship between those points. The conclusion also repeats the general idea of proper management without summarising the main reasons. Group related points more consistently and use transitions that accurately describe how each idea connects.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “apartment blocks,” “overcrowded,” “public transport,” and “urban expansion,” which allows you to discuss housing and city planning. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “quality of life” and “managed communities.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which limits precision: “the increasing population has demanded to build” and “provide large number of home” do not express the intended meaning naturally. Spelling errors such as “sydney” and “belive” also reduce accuracy. Build a wider set of natural collocations for housing and urban development, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “families who prefer house with enough space” and a result clause beginning “so that.” Most ideas remain understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, plurals and verb forms occur across the response. For example, “the tall building provide” needs plural agreement, while “cities like sydney has” has a subject–verb mismatch. “The house should be build” also uses the wrong verb form. These errors sometimes make the sentences less clear, and the range of structures remains limited. Practise checking each sentence’s subject and verb, and review articles and plural endings; then add controlled complex sentences to express reasons and qualifications.

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