Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

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)

In big cities, with increase of population accommodation is becoming a graved issue. Therefore, to solve this problem some people suggest that we should build upwards apartments blocks instead of expanding cities outwards. I firmly believe that it is better way to construct tall buildings to fulfill the residential problems. In this essay, I will examine the merits before reaching a conclusion.

To begin with, the major contribution of building vertical apartments is that it covers small land and provides more homes. As a result, more people are able to live in small land. For instance, in a specific space we build twenty story apartments it covers less ground and more homes. In addition, it also reduce cities to expand because it disturbs the green spaces of suburbs alongsides of cities. Therefore, upward building is better option to mitigate this challange.

On the other hand, constructing enough homes outwards covers more land and also expand the cities towards suburbs areas. Moreover, it is costly to buy a house as compare to own an apartment. Consequently, providing enough homes becomes a big challange for cities. For example, single story home covers more land and accommodates a few people.

In conclusion, I largely agree that vertical building apartment is best way to facilitates people as residence in big cities because in small land more families can live and reduce expansion of cities. In contrary, building home horizontally covers more land and less families. It is also not affordable for every citizen.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you firmly support building upwards, and you give relevant reasons about using less land, accommodating more residents and protecting suburban green space. The comparison with outward expansion also addresses the opposing approach. However, the ideas are only partly developed: the example of a twenty-storey building is hypothetical, and the point that apartments are more affordable is asserted rather than explained or supported. The conclusion repeats the main points without adding much. The response is one word below the required minimum, so it does not meet the task’s length requirement. Develop each main reason with a fuller explanation or a specific, credible example, and ensure the response reaches the required length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting approaches, and a conclusion. This makes the overall argument easy to follow. You also use signposting such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion.” However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and several links are unclear or inaccurate. For example, “As a result” does not clearly show how the preceding point leads to more people living on less land, while “In contrary” is not an appropriate contrast phrase. The conclusion repeats earlier claims rather than drawing them together. Improve cohesion by making the relationship between each reason and its consequence explicit, and use fewer, more precise linking expressions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “population,” “residential,” “green spaces,” “suburbs,” and “accommodates.” This gives you enough language to communicate the central comparison. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning less natural: “graved issue,” “covers small land,” “residential problems,” and “facilitates people as residence” are examples. There are also spelling errors such as “challange” and “alongsides.” Aim to learn common topic collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise expressions for land use, housing supply and affordability would help you explain your ideas clearly without repeating “homes” and “land.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional example (“in a specific space we build twenty story apartments”) and clauses introduced by “because.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward. Examples include the missing article in “it is better way,” subject–verb agreement in “it also reduce,” and the structure “as compare to own an apartment.” The opening phrase “with increase of population” also lacks the grammatical forms needed for a natural sentence. Sentence patterns are often repetitive, and complex attempts are not consistently controlled. Practise articles, agreement and comparative structures, then proofread each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

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.