Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-31

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 5.0)

The most effective approach to provide enough homes to people residing in large cities is by building tall apartment blocks. Overall, in large cities there are many software companies and industries. For people who get an opportunity to work in these companies tend to rent an apartment or home to stay and work. Therefore it reduces the space for other construction work.

To build tall apartment blocks, one should have a get an approval from the Government stating the purpose.

By building tall apartments, the space required is less and there are more houses in one block. In this fast-paced world , getting a land is as difficult as buying a luxury car. For example, let us take a person who is looking for a lucrative job in a large city. He gets the job furthermore stays in the same city and rents a house. There are many people like this and the city cannot afford more people because it causes more traffic and clustered areas.

By constructing tall apartments, we could manage the space and reduce the compactness of a city. There is an advantage of having tall apartments. It is very useful during floods and rainy seasons. It helps people to shift to upper floor and provides safety. The main drawbacks are it involves more money, causes accidents such as falling from upper floors which sometimes could result in death.

There are some drawbacks. Nevertheless, it has more advantages.

This type of apartments will help in reducing the compactness of a city and ensures smooth functioning of the city.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a generally supportive position, arguing that tall apartment blocks use limited land efficiently, and you give relevant reasons such as housing workers and providing upper-floor refuge during floods. However, the response only partly develops the question of whether this is the best way to provide enough homes. The discussion of city industries and workers renting homes is not clearly connected to why high-rise construction is preferable, and the example remains hypothetical rather than showing how the approach meets housing demand. You also mention cost and safety drawbacks but do not explain how they affect your overall judgement. Make your position explicit in the introduction and conclusion, then develop and support each reason with a clear explanation or specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has an introduction, several body paragraphs and a concluding statement, so the reader can identify its broad structure. Some links between ideas are also signalled with words such as “Therefore,” “For example” and “Nevertheless.” However, progression is uneven: the opening moves from companies and workers to construction space without making the connection clear, and the paragraph about approval from the government is isolated and not developed. The drawbacks are introduced in one paragraph and then repeated in “There are some drawbacks,” while the conclusion largely repeats the claim about compactness. Organise the body around distinct reasons and drawbacks, and use each paragraph to develop one main point with clear links to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “apartment blocks,” “construction,” “traffic,” “floods” and “drawbacks,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “lucrative job” and “fast-paced world.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, including “reducing the compactness of a city,” “get an approval” and “shift to upper floor.” Repetition of “tall apartments” and “city” also limits the range. Aim for more precise collocations and vary key terms—for example, describe easing overcrowding rather than reducing compactness, and refer to moving to higher floors during floods. This would make your argument clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, and some are clear, such as “There are some drawbacks. Nevertheless, it has more advantages.” However, complex structures are often faulty or incomplete. “For people who get an opportunity to work in these companies tend to rent” has no grammatical connection between its opening phrase and main clause, while “By building tall apartment blocks, one should have a get an approval” contains a malformed verb phrase. Other errors include “the space required is less and there are more houses” (unclear comparison) and “this type of apartments … ensures” (number agreement). Review clause construction, articles, agreement and sentence punctuation, then proofread each sentence for a complete subject–verb structure.

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