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)

One possible way to provide accommodation in big cities is to build tall apartment blocks.

There is always an issue of accommodation in large cities. People from the countryside and the neighborhood migrate to cities in search of jobs. They need a house to live in. Cities are overcrowded and cannot provide enough homes. For example, one house is enough for one family. No more than one family can share a single house. To address this problem, the best possible solution is to build tall apartments where more than one family can live in a single block.

Another problem is that there is not enough space in cities to build a new house, and it is quite expensive. The cost of building a house in expensive than in the countryside. The apartments made in bilding is quiet cheaper than a complete house. Many people will get the chance to buy or rent one. They can manage their expenses and also live in their own home. As for gardens and other facilities, there should be parks for both adults and kids in blocks.

The main issue people face in cities is the high amount of rent of a house. They don't earn enough to pay rent. For that reason, some people live in shared housing. There is no privacy left in sharing. Disputes occur and so a kind of stress develops. Tall building blocks are quite affordable; people have their own privacy and can enjoy their separate space.

In conclusion, I agree with this statement. The positive impacts of building tall apartment blocks are more than the negative ones. People can live quietly in these blocks and enjoy themselves.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide homes, and you give relevant reasons, including limited urban space, lower costs, and the privacy offered compared with shared housing. These points address the task, but several are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, “one house is enough for one family” does not show why apartment blocks are the best solution, and the claim that they are affordable would be stronger with a specific explanation or example. The brief mention of parks acknowledges residents’ needs but is not developed. To strengthen the response, explain the benefits and possible drawbacks of high-rise housing and support your main claims with clearer examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs presenting reasons, and a conclusion that restates your view. The ideas generally relate to the topic, and phrases such as “Another problem” and “For that reason” help signal connections. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive: the first body paragraph repeats the shortage of homes before moving to the proposed solution, while the third revisits affordability and privacy without clearly building on the earlier points. Some links between claims are also abrupt, such as the move from construction costs to parks. Organise each paragraph around one main reason, then explain and illustrate it, using references and transitions that make the relationship between sentences clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “overcrowded,” “accommodation,” “privacy,” and “shared housing.” However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, particularly “house,” “cities,” and “people.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “the high amount of rent of a house” and “apartments made in bilding.” Spelling errors such as “bilding” and “quiet” (where you mean “quite”) also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise housing and urban-planning vocabulary, and check collocations and spelling. For example, describe rent as “high” or “expensive,” and refer to “high-rise apartment buildings” rather than using several less natural variations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You communicate your position using mostly straightforward sentence patterns, and some longer sentences show an attempt to connect ideas, as in “People from the countryside and the neighborhood migrate to cities in search of jobs.” However, the range of structures is limited, and some grammatical errors remain. In “The cost of building a house in expensive than in the countryside,” the comparison needs a correct adjective construction, such as “is higher.” The sentence “The apartments made in bilding is quiet cheaper” also has problems with sentence structure and subject–verb agreement. There are awkward constructions such as “the high amount of rent of a house.” Practise accurate comparisons and complex sentences, and proofread agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries.

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

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