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)

A gradual decrease in the number of homes, especially in large cities, has been a major concern in all nations. Increase in the number of population with limited resources is a challenging situation for the government in all countries. To addressing this issue and providing enough homes to people in crowded cities has been a debatable topic all around the globe. Some people suggest that the best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks, while others argue that this is not the right solution towards this problem. According to my opinion, I strongly agree with this statement.

There are many reasons why people support this argument. First of all, tall apartments carry less space on the ground but it has more space for living. No doubt techonology has made it more easy to go upstares with the use of lifts. For example, almost in all builidings lifts and excavators are planted for the convenience of human beings. So, there is no negative effect of tall building on human health.

Furthermore, as we know that, to expand cities there is always only one solution, which is the deforestation, so to have more space and area for cities. But this is the worst solution, as it effects the wildlife habitat and causes harms to their breeding patterns and migration. For example, we have many species in the list which goes to the endangered zone just because of habitat distruction like dolphins and turtles.

In conclusion, to deal with the less housing shortage issue, build tall apartments in large cities to overcome housing problem is the best solution. Also it is a best alternative to reduce expanding urbanization and deforestation to save this planet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you strongly agree that tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide housing, and you give two relevant reasons—using less ground space and limiting urban expansion into natural areas. However, the support is only partly convincing and some claims need clearer explanation. The point about lifts establishes that tall buildings are accessible, but it does not directly show how they solve housing shortages or address possible drawbacks. The deforestation paragraph is relevant, yet the examples of dolphins and turtles are not clearly connected to city expansion. Develop each reason with a specific explanation or example showing how high-rise housing can accommodate more residents while protecting land. This would make the response more fully address the question.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The ideas are generally grouped by topic, and signposts such as “First of all,” “Furthermore” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main stages. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak: the discussion of lifts moves quickly from convenience to the claim that tall buildings have no negative health effects, without explaining the connection. The second body paragraph also shifts from housing to wildlife examples without a clear link back to the central argument. Some linking phrases feel mechanical, and the conclusion largely repeats the position rather than drawing the reasons together. Use clearer cause-and-effect links and make each paragraph’s final point explicitly support your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “limited resources,” “wildlife habitat,” “breeding patterns” and “migration,” and the meaning is generally understandable. However, the range is limited in places, with repeated use of broad terms such as “problem,” “solution” and “space.” Several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, for example “number of population,” “carry less space on the ground,” and “less housing shortage issue.” There are also spelling errors such as “techonology,” “builidings” and “distruction,” which reduce the accuracy of the vocabulary. Aim for more precise phrases related to housing density and land use, and check spelling carefully. More natural collocations would make your argument clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a concession-style contrast in the introduction and a reason clause beginning “as we know that.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. For example, “To addressing this issue … has been a debatable topic” has an incorrect verb form and an unclear sentence structure; “Increase in the number of population” also lacks accurate grammatical construction. Agreement and articles are inconsistent, as in “tall apartments … it has” and “it is a best alternative.” The final sentence is also not a complete, well-formed recommendation. Practise building accurate subject–verb patterns and checking each sentence for a clear subject and main verb before adding extra clauses.

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