Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-28

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)

"The best way to prove enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks",i simultaeneously agree and diasgree with this statement,as from my perspective,the main issue here to tackle homelessness would not just be building tall accomodation blocks but to tackle the actual issue,which is poverty.

Firstly,i dont agree very much with this particular statement,as a lot can be said if gone deep into the crux of this particular matter.From my perspective,the main issue in the modern era is that,in many urban cities the issue of homelessness is arising due to many factors,these factors include inflation,unemployment,increasing population,poverty and lack of resources.The issue here is not just about the accomodation but also factors which lead to this outcome.For example,the city of Hong kong,there is rising inflation and unemployment,there are many tall skycrapers as accomodation,but the cost of living and the sizes of the houses make it more difficult for an average person on a daily basis.

Secondly,i also agree,more accomodation,especially affordable accomodation should be built,so that the homeless would have something to call a roof over their heads,especially for basic day to day tasks.

To conclude,my point of view to this would be,governement should help tackle the factors which are leading to homelessness,initiatives should be formed which can help those in need find a job,form employability schemes,provide affordable resources and help them develop skills which can be useful in the future.They can also build accomodations which people can afford,provide basic amenities for basic survival and despite increasing population provide enough houses so that to an extent the rates of homelessness decrease if not get completely eliminated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a partly balanced position: you question whether tall blocks alone solve homelessness, while also supporting more affordable housing. The Hong Kong example is relevant and helps explain how high living costs can make accommodation inaccessible. However, the response shifts from the prompt’s focus on whether tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide enough homes to the broader issue of homelessness and poverty. Your support for building more accommodation is only briefly explained, and the conclusion lists several policies without showing how they compare with high-rise construction. Develop a clearer, consistent answer to the specific question and support each main reason with a fuller explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs signposted by “Firstly” and “Secondly,” and a conclusion. This gives the reader some guidance through your ideas. However, progression is limited: the first body paragraph discusses several causes of homelessness in a list, then moves to Hong Kong, while the second paragraph makes its point in only one sentence. The conclusion introduces a long series of proposals rather than drawing together the argument about tall blocks. Some links are also awkward or unclear, such as “as from my perspective” and “To conclude, my point of view to this would be.” Organise each paragraph around one main claim and connect its explanation directly to the task.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “inflation,” “unemployment,” “affordable accommodation,” “employability schemes,” and “basic amenities.” These terms help communicate the social and housing issues you want to discuss. However, the range is limited by repeated general words such as “issue,” “factors,” and “basic,” and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “prove enough homes” does not express the intended meaning, and “call a roof over their heads” is not the usual phrase. Spelling errors such as “simultaneously,” “skyscrapers,” and “government” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise range for housing supply and affordability, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use clauses to explain causes and consequences, for example, “the main issue … is that … homelessness is arising due to many factors.” However, complex sentences are often poorly controlled, and frequent errors make parts of the response difficult to follow. Examples include the comma splice in “For example, the city of Hong Kong, there is rising inflation,” the incomplete construction “especially for basic day to day tasks,” and the unclear final clause “so that to an extent the rates of homelessness decrease.” Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly the repeated lowercase “i” and missing spaces after commas. Practise forming complete sentences, using conjunctions accurately, and checking sentence boundaries.

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.