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)

Nowadays, many people argue that the finest way to provide space in big cities is to construct upward appartment blocks. I firmly agree with this statement because high-rise building can accommodate in limited urban space and help address housing shortaage and there is no longer space left for crops and trees. In this way, government will work on these drawbacks in big cities and provide basic facilities to citizens.

On the one hand, tall appartments giving space to other buildings like schools, mosques and shoppping malls. More families can live in the same piece of land and they will live happily in these buildings like they are livingn in a mini society. For instance, individuals from rural areas migrate to big cities like Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad for work purposes and higher studies in colleges and universities. So, they are getting rental appartments and hostels which are giving economic profrits to government. Appartments may be more afforadable for the individual houses in expensive cities. Housing near workplace and universities may reduce commuting time.

On the other hand, by constructing apppartments government get enough space for other buildings and open place for growing different types of crops. Moreover, trees are the main source of oxygen, by growing trees in remaining place in cities will decrease the chances of lungs, heart and other diseases. Preserving green spaces can provide shade and improve residents' quality of life. However trees do not automatically remain just because apartments are tall; city planner must deliberately protect green areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you firmly agree that building upwards can help address housing shortages in cities. You give relevant reasons, including accommodating more families on limited land, locating housing near workplaces and universities, and preserving space for greenery. The examples of people moving to Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad help ground the discussion. However, some points are asserted rather than explained: the claim that apartment blocks create room for crops, for example, needs clarification, since the link between high-rise housing and urban food production is not made explicit. The discussion of affordability and government benefits is also brief. Develop these ideas with clearer cause-and-effect reasoning and a more specific example to make the argument more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction followed by two contrasting body paragraphs, and signposts such as “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the main points. Ideas within the first body paragraph move from shared land to urban migration and housing costs, while the second turns to green space and health. However, the overall progression is not always clear: the introduction mentions housing shortages and a lack of space for crops and trees, but the relationship between these points is not consistently developed. Some links, such as “So,” before the example’s outcome, feel abrupt, and the final sentence about city planners introduces a qualification without a concluding paragraph. Use clearer transitions between claims and examples, and finish by restating your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “high-rise building,” “housing shortage,” “commuting time,” “green spaces,” and “quality of life.” These choices show an adequate range for discussing urban housing, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, including “appartment,” “shortaage,” “profrits,” and “afforadable.” There are also awkward or imprecise phrases such as “provide space” where the task concerns providing homes, and “open place for growing different types of crops.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, such as “provide housing,” “generate revenue,” and “land for urban agriculture.” This would make your ideas more precise and fluent without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “because,” a relative clause in “buildings like they are living in a mini society,” and a contrast introduced by “However.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity and control. For example, “high-rise building can accommodate” needs a plural subject or an article, and “tall appartments giving space” lacks a finite verb. In “by growing trees … will decrease,” the opening phrase does not match the sentence’s subject; a clearer form would be “Growing trees … will decrease.” There are also agreement and article issues in “city planner must deliberately protect.” Practise complete clauses, subject–verb agreement, and consistent sentence patterns while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.