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)

The topic under discussion is about providing enough homes in large cities by building tall apartment blocks. The approach seems to be understandable as the cost of individua homes will be high other than apartment blocks which are capable of providing shelter to numerous people in the same building.

One of the reasons, that can also fit into this picture other than affordaility is the demand of cities and their ever evolving living conditions. In big cities, the lives of the people are generally more fast paced than normal. Everybody is working. Be it corporate or the modern time influencers.

Everybody is in the constant rush of moving and reaching to the centre of city quickly due to whatever reason they have. So, my point is that in the middle of the cities its not a practical approach to build separate homes for people as everybody likes to live near their office and all. In this scenerio apartment buildings fits best into the picture as it can easily compete with the demands.

Students coming from different cities and even International ones prefer most of the time to live alone and they also try to find something that fits into the budget perfectly. In that case if they have to commute into a fully developed house that will be expensive. This is where studio appartments come into place as they are affordable and student friendly as well.

Building apartment blocks in the centre of city or in the areas that are close to offices and educational institutions istuitions is a practical approach as it fits perfectly in terms of demand and affordability which are the key options most of the time that people look for.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a generally clear position in favour of apartment blocks and give relevant reasons, especially affordability, proximity to workplaces and educational institutions, and the needs of students. The examples of studio apartments and people wanting to live near the city centre help connect your argument to the topic. However, the response addresses the question only partially because it does not fully explain why this is the best way to provide enough homes, or consider any limitations or alternatives. Several points remain broad: for example, the claim that “Everybody is working” does not show how high-rise housing increases the overall supply. Develop each main reason with a clearer explanation or specific example, and state your degree of agreement directly in the introduction and conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable sequence: it introduces the topic, gives reasons related to city life and affordability, and ends by restating the practical benefits of apartment blocks. Paragraph breaks also separate the main points. However, progression is not consistently clear. The opening mentions cost, but the next paragraph shifts to city life without a clear link, and the short statements “Everybody is working” and “Be it corporate or the modern time influencers” interrupt the development of the argument. Linking phrases such as “One of the reasons” and “This is where” are used, but connections between claims are sometimes loose or repetitive. Organise the body around distinct reasons and explain how each supports your position; a conclusion that summarises the argument would also make the overall structure more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “apartment blocks,” “commute,” “studio apartments,” “affordability,” and “educational institutions.” These terms make the subject clear, and the response attempts some less common phrasing. However, noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “individua homes,” “affordaility,” “scenerio,” and “appartments.” Some expressions are also awkward or imprecise: “compete with the demands” does not clearly express meeting housing needs, while “commute into a fully developed house” appears to confuse commuting with moving into a home. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for housing supply, density, and access to services would help express the argument more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which are capable of providing shelter” and a conditional structure beginning “if they have to commute.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but control is uneven, and some sentence patterns are incomplete or awkward. “Be it corporate or the modern time influencers” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence, and “Everybody is in the constant rush of moving and reaching” has an unclear grammatical construction. There are also problems with articles and sentence punctuation, as in “in the centre of city” and the comma after “One of the reasons.” Build complete sentences around each claim, check article use, and practise combining ideas with accurate subordinate clauses.

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