Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 RAPID GROWTH OF URBAN POPULATION CREATES SHORTAGE OF HOUSING IN THE CITIES. SOME PEOPLE BELIVE THAT BUILDING TALL APARTMENT BLICKS CAN HAVE ENOUGH PLACE TO LIVE BUT THE CONCEQUENCES ARE WAY TO BIG AND UNIMAGIABLE.

ON ONE HAND THE BIG COMPAINES WHICH ARE PRESENT IN URBAN AREA IS THE REASON WHY PEOPLE ATTRACTED TO LIVE IN BIG CITIES BUT THE AREA OF THE CITY MAY BE SOME FOR ANY INSTANCE THE AREA OF THE HYDERABAD IS WAY TO SMALLER WHEN ITS COMPARED TO ADILABAD BUT BECAUSE THE GIANT COMPANIES AND MANUFACTURING HUBS PEOPLE PREFER TO STAY IN HYDERABAD. AND DAY BY DAY THE TALL APARTMENT ARE GROWING RAPIDLY AND THEY ARE CONSTRUCTING IT WITHIN A FEW MONTHS. AND SOMETIMES THE SAFETY OF THOSE BUILDINGS LESS COMPARED TO OTHERS.

ON THE OTHER HAND RATHER THAN BUILDING TALLER BUILDINGS WE CAN EXPAND THE CITY TO THE NEIGHBOURING CITIES FOR EXAMPLE IF WE BUILT THE ROAD AND TRAIN INFRASTRUCTURE PEOPLE PREFER TO STAY AROUNG THE URABAN CITIES BY THIS WAY WE CAN SAVE THE POLUTION THAT IS CAUSED BY BULIDINGS AND WE CAN CONNECT THE PEOPLE TO THE BIG COMPANIES.

FINALLY I PARTIALLY AGREE WITH THE STATEMENT BECAUSE WE HAVE THE ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS AROUND US BUT IF ITS NOT POSSIBLE BUILDING TALL APARTMENT WITH NEW AND HIGHEND TECHNOLOGY SO THAT IT CAN STAY STRONG FOR YEARS. OR IF THE GOVERMENT IS INVOVLED THE AREA WHICH HAVE LARGE PLACE TO PROVIDE ENOUGH HOMES WITHOUT THE TALLEST BUILDINGS CAN BECOME THE HUBS FOR THE COMPANIES.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a relevant, partly qualified position: you “partially agree” and suggest that transport links and development beyond the city centre can provide alternatives to tall blocks. The Hyderabad–Adilabad comparison and the point about building safety also relate to urban housing. However, the response does not fully explain whether tall apartments are the best way to provide enough homes, or compare their benefits and drawbacks in a developed way. The claim that buildings cause pollution, for example, is not explained, and the final suggestion about companies becoming hubs is difficult to follow. To strengthen the response, state your position clearly in the introduction and develop each main reason with a specific explanation or example tied directly to housing supply.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable structure, with an opening, two contrasting body sections signalled by “ON ONE HAND” and “ON THE OTHER HAND,” and a concluding position. These markers help readers recognise the intended organisation. However, progression within the paragraphs is often unclear: the first body paragraph moves from companies attracting residents to city size, construction speed and safety without showing how each point connects. Several ideas are joined in long strings, and the conclusion introduces new proposals rather than drawing together the argument. Some linking phrases, such as “by this way,” do not clearly express the relationship between ideas. Use shorter, focused paragraphs and make each one develop a single reason, with clear references and transitions between supporting points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “urban population,” “manufacturing hubs,” “infrastructure,” and “safety,” and you use some topic-specific terms rather than relying entirely on basic language. However, the range is limited and errors in spelling, word choice and collocation are frequent enough to make parts of the argument difficult to understand. Examples include “apartment blic ks,” “concequences,” “way to smaller,” and “save the pollution”; the intended meanings are sometimes recoverable, but the phrasing is not natural or precise. Repeated use of “big,” “tall,” and “people” also limits variety. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common combinations such as “high-rise apartment blocks,” “reduce pollution,” and “attract residents.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences with clauses, including “because the giant companies and manufacturing hubs…” and the conditional idea beginning “if we built the road and train infrastructure.” This shows an effort to express relationships between ideas. However, the longer structures are often faulty, and frequent errors in sentence formation, agreement, articles and verb patterns can make the meaning hard to follow. For instance, “the big companies … is the reason” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “people attracted to live” is missing a necessary verb form. Several sentences run together without clear punctuation, particularly in the first body paragraph. Practise building accurate sentences first, then combine them with conjunctions; check agreement, articles and complete verb phrases during revision.

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