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)

In big cities, the most appropriate way to manage accommodation for the nation is by constructing high-rise buildings that can manage enough space for people to reside. Managing houses for overly populated countries is a big problem in the current scenario. In this essay, I will talk about the reasons for building big apartments in enormous cities for providing shelters to the people of the country.

In the current world, population has become one of the most talked about issues that creates a lot of problems in the society. A city like Dhaka, where the population is more than the free space, is creating several difficulties. Not enough empty spaces are there to build enough houses to accommodate the people; hence, building tall buildings where there are more spaces for residence helps get rid of this problem. For example, multi-story apartments are now being built where different offices are taking place in the same building.

On the contrary, building tall buildings is always becoming a high-risk problem as natural calamities such as earthquakes and cyclones are happening yearly. By these uncontrollable events, buildings may get demolished and lives may be ended. For example, every year, due to earthquakes, many old and less strong buildings are facing attacks. Therefore, accurate items should be used so that the buildings can be constructed strongly.

In summary, without making tall buildings, it will not be possible to manage enough homes for people, and they may need to choose to relocate or manage small spaces for large amounts of people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the topic by supporting tall apartment buildings as a way to house people in crowded cities, and the Dhaka example helps make the space shortage concrete. You also introduce a relevant concern about earthquakes and other disasters. However, the response does not fully answer “to what extent” you agree: the opening and conclusion sound strongly supportive, while the counterargument is not clearly weighed against that position. The point about offices occupying the same building does not directly show how this provides homes, and the safety concern is only briefly explained. State your degree of agreement clearly, then develop each reason with a direct link to housing supply and a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, supporting paragraph, opposing point and conclusion. The progression from urban crowding to building upward is generally understandable, and transitions such as “For example,” “On the contrary,” and “In summary” signal stages of the argument. However, the progression is not always logical: the example of offices in apartment buildings does not clearly support the claim about providing homes, and the conclusion introduces relocation and small spaces without developing these ideas earlier. Some linking is mechanical, and references such as “this problem” could be more precise. Make each paragraph follow a clear claim–explanation–example sequence and ensure the conclusion reflects the argument already established.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “high-rise buildings,” “accommodate,” “overly populated,” and “natural calamities,” showing an attempt to discuss housing and urban risks. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, which limits clarity: “manage accommodation for the nation,” “more than the free space,” and “buildings are facing attacks” do not convey the intended meanings naturally. “Big” and “enormous” are also repeated or used where more precise terms would strengthen the argument. Aim for accurate collocations such as “meet housing demand,” “limited available land,” and “buildings sustain damage.” A wider set of precise terms for density, construction and safety would make the discussion more fluent and convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “a city like Dhaka, where…” and a result clause introduced by “hence.” The main ideas are usually understandable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical patterns recur. For example, “Not enough empty spaces are there” uses an awkward word order, while “building tall buildings is always becoming” has an incorrect verb pattern. In “buildings where different offices are taking place,” the clause is not formed naturally, and “lives may be ended” is an inaccurate passive construction. Practise clear subject–verb patterns and natural clause structures, and check verb forms and articles. More consistently controlled complex sentences would improve accuracy and readability.

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