Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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 todays world, there are housing crisis due to increase in population in large cities. I agree with the fact that the excellent way to provide people shelter in urban areas is to build tall apartment blocks. It can provide people safety from natural disaster and also it is a basic human need.

To begin with, the increase in population has a major impact on housing crisis. As a result, government is destroying forest and agricultural land to plan housing projects where people can live. In my opinion, instead of cutting down forest we can build massive apartment blocks. For instance, if there is a city where the buildings are built around 10 to 12 floors we can reconstruct those and make it up 20 floors rather than disturbing nature and using agricultural land where crops can be grown. Furthermore, constructing tall apartments can reduce housing crisis.

In addition, if the cutting down of forest continues due to housing plans it will disturb the life cycle of wild animals. As a result, they will leave the forest and come towards the urban areas which increases the question of our and their safety too. For example, in my city a incident happend a few months ago where a leopard bites a 30 year old till death after which the initiative of cutting forest stopped and a new plan of redeveloping apartments was sanctioned which can provide enough homes.

To encapsulate, every coin has two sides however, constructing tall apartment blocks is a best way to provide enough homes in large cities

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that tall apartment blocks are an effective way to provide homes, and both body paragraphs give relevant reasons. The point about building upwards instead of using forest or agricultural land is supported with a practical comparison between 10–12 and 20 floors. However, the response addresses the question only partially because it mainly argues that high-rise construction is beneficial, without examining whether it is the best approach or acknowledging relevant limitations, such as infrastructure, affordability, or residents’ needs. The leopard example illustrates a possible consequence of habitat loss, but the link to apartment redevelopment is not fully explained. Develop the reasoning behind each example and make the case for why this solution is preferable to alternatives.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a concluding sentence. Paragraphs generally focus on related ideas, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “In addition,” and “To encapsulate” help show the intended sequence. However, progression is sometimes mechanical, and the connection between points is not always clear. For example, the second body paragraph moves from forest loss to animal safety and then to a leopard incident, but the explanation of how this incident led to apartment redevelopment is compressed. The conclusion introduces “every coin has two sides” without identifying any opposing consideration. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and make the conclusion directly summarise your main reasons.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “housing crisis,” “agricultural land,” “redeveloping apartments,” and “life cycle of wild animals.” These choices make the subject clear, and some phrases show an attempt to express more specific ideas. However, the range is limited and several word-choice or collocation errors make the writing less natural, such as “provide people shelter,” “increases the question of our and their safety,” and “a leopard bites a 30 year old till death.” Spelling and word forms also need attention, including “todays,” “happend,” and “bites” when describing a past event. Build a bank of accurate housing and environmental collocations, and check spelling and phrasing during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning “As a result” and “where,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to follow. For example, “there are housing crisis” has an agreement and article problem, while “a incident happend” and “a leopard bites” show article and tense errors. The long sentence beginning “For example, in my city” also needs clearer clause structure and punctuation. There is some variety, but complex constructions are not yet controlled consistently. Practise checking subject–verb agreement, articles, past-tense forms and sentence boundaries, then aim to make each example sentence grammatically complete.

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