Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-18

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 best way to provide a roof over one's head in metropolitan areas is to build tall buildings. I disagree with this sentiment fully because building more places to stay will not ascertain people of owning homes.

Construction of taller buildings such as skyscrapers may provide more space for the growing population especially in megacities. But, the general public have to be able enough to afford them. In our current economy, jobs offer much less compensation compared to the rent of housing. Even if the rent is affordable enough, the price of groceries and other important services are risen to such a point that people become instantly broke after paying off their bills. As a result, renting a place becomes tough to handle. For example, the price of housing kept on increasing throughout the years but the average working wage never reached the same level.

The taller buildings are also generally cost more to build. The rents offered by these complexes are matched with the construction expenses and reach a higher than average price. For example, the penthouses in places like New York are only owned by the wealthy due to it's high price. Hence, these places can't be owned by the normal people.

Overall, I disagree with the statement of getting more homes by building taller buildings. Because, people need to afford the costs of the accomodation of these pricier apartments

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you fully disagree, and both body paragraphs give relevant reasons, focusing on affordability and the cost of construction. The examples about wages and New York penthouses help illustrate these concerns. However, the response addresses the task only partially because it does not fully examine whether tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide enough homes, or develop alternative approaches. Several claims are broad, and the wage example is not supported with specific detail. The response is also 18 words below the required minimum. To strengthen the argument, explain how high-rise construction affects the number of homes available and compare it with another option, such as building in less dense areas or improving public housing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present reasons, and a conclusion restates your position. Linking phrases such as “As a result,” “For example,” and “Hence” make the relationships between points easy to follow. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, with both body paragraphs following a similar claim-and-example pattern. The conclusion begins with “Because,” leaving a sentence fragment, and its final point largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the argument together. Develop a clearer progression by explaining how each example supports the central claim, and use referencing or transitions that connect the affordability and construction-cost arguments more explicitly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “metropolitan areas,” “growing population,” “construction expenses,” and “average working wage.” These choices show an attempt to discuss housing and urban development beyond very basic terms. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “provide a roof over one's head” for the task’s focus on supplying homes, “ascertain people of owning homes,” and “the rents offered by these complexes are matched with” construction expenses. There is also a spelling error in “accomodation,” and “it's” is used where the possessive “its” is needed. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling and word forms; this would make your meaning more fluent and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “Even if the rent is affordable enough…” and a relative clause in “the price of housing kept on increasing throughout the years but the average working wage never reached the same level.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the general public have to be able enough” has an awkward construction, while “the price of groceries and other important services are risen” has incorrect verb formation and agreement. “The taller buildings are also generally cost more” is also structurally faulty, and the final sentence beginning “Because” is incomplete. Practise accurate verb forms, agreement, and complete sentence construction while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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

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