Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-01

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)

It is often argued that constructing tall building apartment blocks is the best way to provide plenty of homes.I partially agree with this statement because it occpu less space and provides homes for living.

On the one hand , some people believe that constructing tall building apartment blocks is the best way to provide a large number of homes because it occupy less space.Many families can live inside a tall building and it is very helpful for them and also , they don't have to worry about to purchase the land where they can live easily.Apartments have all the facilities that a normal house have and everyone can afford to live in the apartments.Furthermore, mostly tall building are situated in cities rather than villages.For instance , in New York , there are a lot of tall buildings where people live.

On the other hand, It may causes some problems for individuals , Some people like to stay in a place where there is no noise pollution.As many people living in the same building block , it is more likely to have this kind of issues.However, it may cause some problems too , maybe a building falls apart due to an earthquake and it may have various aspects .In some apartment blocks, there is no facility for the elevator, and it can be an alarming situation for elder people.Therefore , some people prefer to have their own homes ,instead of living in apartments.

In conculsion, some people think that constructing tall building apartments is beneficial because it use less space , while some people believe that having their own homes is better and I partially agree with the statement.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear, though qualified, position: you “partially agree” that apartment blocks are the best solution. The response addresses both the space-saving benefits and disadvantages such as noise, earthquake risk, and limited elevator access, so the main topic is relevant. However, the position is not fully explained: the conclusion repeats that you partially agree without clarifying which drawbacks outweigh the benefits or when high-rise housing is preferable. Several points are asserted rather than developed—for example, the claim that apartments have all the facilities of a normal house and that everyone can afford them needs explanation or a supporting example. Develop fewer ideas in more depth and connect them directly to whether tall blocks are the best way to meet housing demand.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the shift between advantages and disadvantages, and the ideas are generally understandable in their paragraph groups. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes loose: the point about buildings being in cities rather than villages does not clearly support the affordability claim, and the earthquake example is introduced without explaining how likely or relevant this risk is. Linking phrases such as “also,” “Furthermore,” and “Therefore” sometimes feel mechanical or do not show the precise relationship between ideas. Improve cohesion by ordering each paragraph around one main claim and using clearer references and transitions between supporting points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “noise pollution,” “earthquake,” “facilities,” and “apartments.” There is also some attempt to vary phrasing, such as “provide a large number of homes” and “their own homes.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors reduce precision: “tall building apartment blocks,” “it occpu less space,” and “a building falls apart” are not natural or accurate expressions. Repetition of “tall building,” “homes,” and “problems” also makes the discussion less specific. Build a more precise housing vocabulary and check spelling; for example, distinguish between “high-rise apartment blocks,” “housing capacity,” and “structural damage.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause with “because” and a conditional example beginning “maybe a building falls apart due to an earthquake.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries are frequent enough to affect fluency. Examples include “it occupy less space,” “facilities that a normal house have,” and “It may causes some problems.” There are also run-on or awkwardly joined clauses, such as “As many people living in the same building block, it is more likely to have this kind of issues.” Practise subject–verb agreement and complete clause structures, then proofread punctuation and capitalisation. More accurate complex sentences would make your reasoning clearer.

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.