Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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)

As the population in the cities are rising, the number of houses should also increase to ensure that each household will be provided adequate homes. While other people believe that the best way to solve the housing problems is to build apartment blocks, other individuals argue that there might be other strategies to deal with this problem. I believe that building tall apartment blocks will somehow resolve the issue, however, if there are other proposed solution to this matter other than that, that could be of help, then the government should give it a try.

One of the main reason for this is that if there will be tall apartment blocks, then renters can occupy the space. It will provide people more houses to live in. For instance, if an apartment will have 30 floors, then the number of occupants will climb to a higher number than just short apartments. There will be sufficient homes for the families.

By contrast, having tall apartment blocks will not be enough resolution to the lack of houses. There is a possibility of accidents. For example, if there will be an earthquake, people who are living at the highest floors will experience difficulties evacuating the area. It is prone to accidents.

In conclusion, I strongly believe that building tall apartment to allocate to people is not the best way to solve the concern. In my perspective, there are other ways on how to improve the housing dilemma of each family that can avoid casualties.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the housing question and present a position, but it is not fully consistent: the introduction says tall blocks will “somehow resolve the issue,” whereas the conclusion says they are “not the best way.” The response gives one relevant benefit—more residents can be housed on a smaller footprint—and one drawback, evacuation risks during an earthquake. However, both points are only briefly explained, and the discussion does not establish why other approaches would be better or how they could provide enough homes. To strengthen the response, state clearly whether you agree, disagree, or partly agree, then develop each reason with explanation and a specific example. This would make the argument more fully address the task.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph presenting an advantage, a contrasting paragraph describing a risk, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “By contrast,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main stages. However, the progression of the argument is limited, and the contrast between the opening position and the conclusion makes the overall line of reasoning less clear. Some connections are also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “if” in the example about apartment floors and the earthquake. Improve cohesion by making the position consistent and linking each example explicitly to the claim it supports. More precise referencing would also help clarify what “that” and “the area” refer to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “population,” “households,” “occupants,” “evacuating,” and “housing dilemma,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There is some attempt to vary expression, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “other proposed solution,” “provide people more houses,” and “not enough resolution.” The repeated use of “houses” and “problem” also limits precision. Aim to use more natural topic-specific combinations, for example, “accommodate residents,” “address the housing shortage,” and “evacuation difficulties.” Building a wider range of accurate collocations will make your argument clearer and more fluent without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while,” “if,” and “that,” and the overall meaning is usually clear. However, some errors in agreement, articles, plurals, and verb forms remain. For example, “the population in the cities are rising” should use a singular verb, and “One of the main reason” needs a plural noun. The conditional phrasing “if there will be tall apartment blocks” is also awkward; a more controlled form would be “if tall apartment blocks are built.” There are some long sentences whose structure becomes difficult to follow, especially in the introduction. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and simplifying conditional sentences while retaining a mix of sentence types.

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