Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 issue of constructing enough houses have generated considerable debate in recent years. I strongly agree with the view that this is the only way of giving shelter to individual though making long building blocks.

One of the compelling reason for this position is that, there are shortage of spaces is city areas. This is largely because, majority of people are living is urban areas as they provide multiple facilities such as, proper trasportation, higher education and employment too. Consequently, people are tending to live there and as there are no space for new apartments they would like to build new flats above constant home.

A further consideration is that, there is already few greenary left in cities. but the necesity of shelter is increasing. If they do not make longer apartments, they will cut the remaining trees to build new house. More specifically, though deforestation new buildings will be constructed. Therefore, this is the only way to give proper shelter to those who are living in cities.

Admittedly, some people argue that longer building are very harmful fot natural calamities for instance, earthquake can effect this long buildings. Also it is making the urban areas very polluted as the population is increasing. However, I believe that, making taller building are more convenient for smaller spaces. It is also not that expensive who lives in a small apartments in cities.

In conclusion, I firmly agree that this is best way to prepare tall building blocks rather than destroy the new properties which can effect environment too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you strongly support tall apartment blocks, and you give relevant reasons concerning limited urban space and the need to protect remaining green areas. You also acknowledge a counterargument about earthquakes and pollution, which shows some engagement with another perspective. However, the response addresses the issue only partially because key claims are not sufficiently explained or supported. For example, the point that people choose cities for transport, education and jobs does not fully show why high-rise construction is the best solution, and the earthquake concern is not answered with a specific response. The claim that this is the “only way” is also stronger than the evidence provided. Develop each reason with a clearer explanation or example and qualify absolute claims where appropriate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two supporting paragraphs, a counterargument and conclusion. The main ideas are generally grouped by topic, and linking expressions such as “Consequently,” “A further consideration” and “However” help signal relationships. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: the first body paragraph moves from city facilities to a shortage of space and then to building flats above existing homes without clearly connecting these points. Some transitions feel mechanical, and references such as “they” in “If they do not make longer apartments” are unclear. The conclusion repeats the central position but does not bring the reasons together. Use clearer topic sentences, make pronoun references explicit, and explain the link between each claim and your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “urban areas,” “employment,” “deforestation” and “population,” and you attempt to express ideas about housing and the environment. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make parts of the argument difficult to interpret. Phrases such as “constant home,” “longer apartments” and “prepare tall building blocks” do not convey the intended meaning naturally; “existing homes,” “taller apartment buildings” and “construct high-rise blocks” would be clearer. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “trasportation,” “greenary” and “necesity.” Build a more precise set of housing and urban-planning terms, and check spelling and collocations so that your meaning is consistently clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple sentences and longer structures, including clauses introduced by “because,” “as” and “though.” However, the range is limited, and complex sentences are often faulty; errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to understand. For example, “The issue … have generated” has subject–verb disagreement, while “there are shortage of spaces is city areas” combines incompatible sentence structures. Other examples include “majority of people are living is urban areas” and “making taller building are more convenient,” where agreement and sentence construction are inaccurate. Work first on building complete clauses with a clear subject and verb, then check articles, plurals and agreement. Shorter, accurate sentences will help you communicate your ideas more reliably.

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

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