Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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)

Over the last few decades,a considerable proportion of people are migrating towards large cities for their better career opportunities.Due to this, major cities are overpopulating and become a reason for shortage of homes in large cities.i would partly agree with build tall apartment blocks in cities to handle this situation.

Generally,individuals migrating from other parts of the country to large cities are probably with low account balance shift in search of occupation.Apartments are often safer options for investing their money with limited balance because Apartments are cheaper than independent house and are near to offices, universities, malls and provide convenient way to public transport.Furthermore, many tall apartments are installed with surveillance cameras to look after on suspicious activities happening in apartment blocks and in some cases security guards are often standing on the entrance of apartments for the security purpose.

on the other hand, independent houses provides more privacy than apartments residents have more personal space and fewer shared boundary walls with neighbours.For instance,independent houses are located with gardens and yards provide safety options for parents to stress free of their children playing in gardens.Additionally,residents enjoy peaceful environment in houses no noises from neighbours and shared facilities .

Consequently,build tall apartment blocks occupy less space around the roads because it simply located near public assests so government are more acitve in public occupying assets.Tall apartments provide flexible payment options and are safer and cheaper option with limited a ccound balance.Whereas,the independent houses provides more privacy to residents and parents are be stress free of their children playing in gardens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a partly agreeing position and give relevant reasons on both sides: apartments are presented as cheaper and close to services, while houses offer privacy and gardens. These points show an attempt to address the question, but the response only partly develops the central issue of whether tall blocks are the best way to provide enough homes. For example, security features and children playing in gardens are described, but their connection to housing supply is not explained. The conclusion repeats the advantages rather than clearly weighing them or stating the conditions behind your position. To strengthen the response, explain how high-rise construction increases the number of homes on limited urban land, then support your qualification with a specific limitation or alternative.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs and a conclusion. The contrast signalled by “on the other hand” helps readers follow the shift from apartments to independent houses. However, progression within and between paragraphs is uneven: the first body paragraph moves from affordability to location and then security, without clearly linking these points to the question of housing supply. The conclusion also repeats earlier claims rather than drawing them together into a final judgement. Some linking expressions, such as “Consequently” and “Whereas,” do not clearly express the relationship between the ideas that follow. Organise each paragraph around one main reason, explain it in sequence, and use transitions that accurately show contrast, result or addition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “career opportunities,” “surveillance cameras,” “privacy,” and “public transport,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, sometimes making meaning less clear. For example, “low account balance” and “limited balance” are not natural ways to describe people with little money, while “look after on suspicious activities” is an awkward expression. There are also spelling and form errors, such as “overpopulating” and “acive.” Aim to use precise housing and urban-planning terms, and check common word partnerships. Replacing repeated references to “apartments” and “houses” with accurate alternatives can also improve variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including explanations introduced by “because” and “whereas.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and punctuation frequently make the writing difficult to read. For instance, “independent houses provides” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “independent houses residents have more personal space” lacks a clear grammatical connection between its clauses. The opening also shifts from “people are migrating” to “cities are overpopulating and become,” creating an inconsistent structure. Capitalisation and sentence boundaries are often inaccurate, particularly after full stops. Practise building complete sentences with one clear main clause, then check agreement, articles and punctuation before adding subordinate clauses.

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