Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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)

Building tall buildings has always been a significant part of urbanization.Though increasing population have pushed such infrastructures more, but it has disadvantages like unemployment, deforestation and increasing air pollution. I disagree with the statement as building tall brings will bring more disadvantages than advantages for the city.

Tall buildings may initially manage the accommodation of more people in more homes but more homes will encourage more population in the city. But with the limitied area and job opportunities, people will remain unemployed inspite of their capabilities. Moreover, the tall buildings will demand more deforestations for its infrastructure which willl negatively affect the environment. Besides increasing population will cause more air pollution. More vehicles will be used for this large population with less tree and urbanization, it can be even worse. Though is undeiable that, urbanization and buidlign tall buidings do have some advantages but it barely outweighs the disadvantages.

For example, Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh, it has been trying to accommodate more homes since last two decades. The high rise buildings have accommodated more people and unemployement issues, the environemental pollution significantly increased in these years. The quality of life of people has also decreased because of the traffic jam with over population. Moreover, recently Dhaka was selected as the second most unworthy city of Asia to live.

Overall, I believe, urbanization can be only helpful if its environement friendly. It will be very difficult for a city to develop and upgrade the quality of life of people without considering its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you disagree because high-rise development may worsen unemployment and environmental conditions. The Dhaka example gives the argument a relevant real-world illustration, and you acknowledge a benefit by noting that tall buildings can accommodate more people. However, the response does not fully explain why apartment blocks themselves would cause unemployment, or how building upward necessarily requires more deforestation. The claim that more homes will attract more people also needs qualification, since the task asks whether this is the best way to provide enough homes. Develop the comparison with alternatives, such as denser low-rise housing or improved public transport, and explain the links between each reason and your position more carefully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction states your view, the second paragraph presents reasons, and the final paragraphs give an example and conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Besides,” and “For example” help signal relationships between ideas. However, several points are crowded into the same body paragraph, and the repeated use of “more” and “Moreover” makes the progression feel somewhat mechanical. Some connections are also unclear, particularly the move from accommodating more residents to unemployment, and the Dhaka sentence linking high-rise buildings with employment issues. Give each main reason a clearer sequence—claim, explanation, and evidence—and use more precise references so readers can follow how each point supports your disagreement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “urbanization,” “accommodation,” “infrastructure,” “environmental pollution,” and “quality of life.” These choices make the subject clear, and some less common terms show an effort to discuss urban issues precisely. However, inaccurate word forms, spelling, and collocations reduce control: examples include “more deforestations,” “unemployement,” “unworthy city,” and “urbanization friendly.” “Tall buildings” and “more population” are also repeated where more precise alternatives would improve variety. Aim to learn vocabulary in natural combinations and check spelling carefully. For instance, use “deforestation,” “unemployment,” and “environmentally friendly,” and choose a precise phrase such as “one of Asia’s least liveable cities” if that is what you mean.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “Though” and “because,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, sentence construction, and punctuation occur across the response. For example, “increasing population have pushed” needs a singular verb or a plural subject, while “Though … but” incorrectly combines two contrasting structures. The sentence “The high rise buildings have accommodated more people and unemployement issues” lacks a grammatical connection between its two objects, and “Overall, I believe, urbanization…” has unnecessary comma placement. Practise building complex sentences with one clear main clause, and proofread for agreement, complete sentence structure, and punctuation.

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