Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-26

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)

Constructing huge apartment blocks is an effecient means of providing homes for people in big cities, I really agree with this statement.

because there is a large propotion of population living in the city areas, there is a high demand of homes. In contrast to the countryside and small cities, where there are usually big proper homes with lawns and a spacious garage, cities have tall huge buildings. which cover less space and provide many floors, serving as an efficient means of housing. For small families and working people with no family, a large house isnt needed so apartment block are perfect for those people as well. Further more they are usualy furnished and have all the built in essential appliances and installed in home tools ranging from cookware, shelves and air conditioners and therefore cost less than buying and building your own typical house.

However apartment blocks are not the 'best' way to provide homes in large cities because some people prefer living in houses rathr than renting out apartments and if one building is facing some sewage issues for eg, then all the apartments are likely to suffer, plus since the apartments are really close then one might be disturbed by the activities of their neighbours. More on some apartments cost more than building your own home because they are designed with precision and because appliances are installed in it just adds to the extra cost. And the prce discrimination is real: top floors are charged higher rent than the lower ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that apartment blocks are an efficient solution, while recognising they are not always the best option. You give relevant reasons on both sides, including efficient land use, suitability for smaller households, shared sewage problems, neighbour disturbance and differences in rent. However, the response does not fully develop the central comparison implied by “the best way”: it could explain why high-rise housing should be prioritised over alternatives such as renovating existing buildings or building medium-density housing. Several points are asserted rather than supported with a specific example, and the conclusion does not clearly weigh the advantages against the drawbacks. Develop fewer points with explanation or an example, then state your final judgement more decisively.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall arrangement: it first presents advantages and then introduces disadvantages with “However.” This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your argument. Within the paragraphs, though, ideas sometimes accumulate without a clear sequence, and the first paragraph moves from land use to household size and then to furnishings and cost. The second paragraph also combines several separate objections in one long chain. Some linking is mechanical or unclear, such as “More on,” while the opening “because” begins a new sentence without a clear connection to the preceding claim. Use distinct paragraphs for the main sides, organise each around one controlling idea, and use precise transitions and referencing to show how each point relates to your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “apartment blocks,” “high demand,” “spacious,” “sewage issues” and “rent,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “price discrimination.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or informal expressions are noticeable: “effecient,” “propotion,” “rathr,” “prce,” “for eg” and “is real.” Some combinations are awkward, including “installed in home tools” and “cost less than buying and building your own typical house.” Choose more natural collocations and maintain a suitably formal tone. For example, describe appliances as “provided” or “included,” and explain that rents may vary by floor rather than calling this “price discrimination.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex structures, including a comparison beginning “In contrast to the countryside” and a conditional example about sewage problems. These attempts help convey relationships between ideas, but control is inconsistent. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are a particular issue: “I really agree with this statement. because…” leaves a dependent clause as a fragment, and “cities have tall huge buildings. which cover less space” separates a relative clause from its noun. There are also errors in articles, agreement and plurals, as in “apartment block are perfect,” and missing apostrophes in “isnt” and “neighbours” is not the issue, but “one’s” would be needed in the relevant possessive construction. Review sentence boundaries, subject–verb agreement and possessives, then proofread each sentence for completeness.

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