Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Establishing homes in large cities has become controversial in today's world. While some argue that constructing tall apartment blocks can provide a sloution, others disagree. I firmly diasgree with this, as this will not tackle this problem.

To initate, building tall blocks may not be convenient to all residents, especially the elderly. Living in high floors can cause a problem for people who have anxiety from high places, as a result, they would refuse to live in such circumstances. In addition, elderly who demand special care according to their needs would find difficulty to live in such high blocks.

Also, building high blocks is not aesthetic or appealing, since they occupy huge spaces that could be used for more beneficial areas such as gardens. The reason for that is in order to build tall blocks, many spaces are required to build them, so this may not be pleasent to everyone.

Another issue is privacy, instead of building each house with its fences and gardens, building apartments one above another will cause the problem of not providing enough privacy. This issue will concern resdients who prefer to conserve their privacy, as bulding tall blocks will problaby include around two to three aprtments in the same floor, so no enough space is provided for eachone.

To conclude, construction of tall blocks as a way to tackle the problem of not enough homes in large cities is not effective, as many problems will occur such as, not aesthetic enough or not provind ebough privancy. I strongly disagree of that point of view and encourge the building of separte houses instead.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you disagree with tall apartment blocks and recommend separate houses. You give relevant reasons concerning accessibility for older people, the use of space, and privacy, so the response addresses the question. However, the argument is only partly developed. For example, the point about elderly residents needing special care is asserted without explaining what features of high-rise living make care difficult. The claim that tall blocks require large amounts of space is also unclear, since building upwards can use less land than separate houses. To strengthen the response, explain each reason more precisely and support it with a concrete example or comparison. Consider acknowledging the housing shortage directly and showing why your alternative would provide enough homes in a large city.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction states your view, three body paragraphs present separate reasons, and a conclusion restates your position. Sequencing phrases such as “To initiate,” “Also,” and “Another issue” help readers follow the points. However, some linking is mechanical, and a few connections are unclear. In the second body paragraph, the explanation beginning “The reason for that is in order to build tall blocks” repeats the claim rather than clarifying how the buildings occupy space. The sentence beginning “Another issue is privacy, instead of building…” also joins two ideas awkwardly. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each explanation directly to its main point; vary transitions and use pronouns or references only when their meaning is unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “apartment blocks,” “residents,” “privacy,” and “gardens.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “special care” and “conserve their privacy.” However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, sometimes making the reader pause: “sloution,” “pleasent,” “resdients,” and “privancy.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, including “Living in high floors” and “not aesthetic.” Proofread carefully and learn common collocations for housing and urban planning. More precise vocabulary would also help you explain the trade-off between high-rise development and land use rather than relying on broad claims.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “while,” “as,” and “since,” and most of your meaning remains understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly in sentence construction and articles. For example, “elderly who demand special care” needs a clearer noun phrase, such as “elderly people who need special care,” while “not providing enough privacy” is awkwardly formed in its sentence. The sentence beginning “Another issue is privacy, instead of building…” also needs restructuring to avoid joining clauses incorrectly. Work on building accurate complex sentences, especially when adding explanations after a comma, and check article use and prepositions in phrases such as “live on high floors.” Greater control would make your arguments easier to follow.

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