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)

In order, to meet homes requirement in large cities, tall apartment blocks are built. Large cities have greater number of polpulation, which requires more homes to be built.

In my opinion, building tall apartments are best way to provide enough homes.

With the passage of time polpulation is exploding day by day. The obvious number of increase in counting of people needs more houses to be built. Building taller apartements make room for more buildings, while provides increased capacity for the people's home requirement.

Taller buildings with more number of apartments can offer lower cost of rent and can provide relief to people. Third most important factor is that taller buildings have basement parking, so residents can easily park their vehicles easily For instance Lahore city is highly overpopulated, and requires more and more buildings to provide homes. There is not enough space for building all homes on ground, then the need arise for buildings with tall apartment block to tackle with massive population

On the contrary, taller building apartment are proned to earthquakes. There is alway a huge risk of falling buildings. The material used in building also decide strength and flexibility of the taller apartment blocks. If lower quality material is used in pillars and walls, then its standing strength and ability to bear shock gets compromised. One of main important issue regarding these tall buildings includes greater number of stairs. For the aged people it causes difficulties while up stairing and functionality of elavator might be compromised. For instance buildings with higher number of apartments are at greater risk caused by more frequent earthquakes.

In conclusion, tall apartments blocks are beneficial in providing homes to people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide homes, and you give relevant reasons, including limited ground space, potentially lower rents, and parking. You also consider disadvantages such as earthquake risk and access difficulties for older residents, so the response addresses both sides of the question. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For example, the claim that taller buildings reduce rent needs a clearer link to how increased housing supply affects costs. The Lahore example is relevant but remains general, and the conclusion only restates your view. Develop the strongest reasons with specific explanation or evidence, and clarify how the disadvantages affect your overall position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to supporting reasons, a counterargument, and a conclusion. This gives the reader an overall sense of direction. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven, and some connections are mechanical or unclear. The opening phrase “In order, to meet homes requirement” is difficult to follow, while “Third most important factor” appears without a clearly signposted first and second factor. The Lahore example and the parking point are joined together without a clear transition, and the final earthquake example repeats the preceding risk rather than advancing the argument. Use topic sentences to establish each paragraph’s main point, then connect examples directly to that point with clear referencing and transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “overpopulated,” “capacity,” “earthquakes,” and “flexibility,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-form, and collocation errors make parts of the response less natural or occasionally difficult to understand. Examples include “polpulation,” “apartements,” “proned to earthquakes,” and “up stairing.” Phrases such as “homes requirement” and “number of increase in counting of people” are also awkward. Aim to learn common collocations for housing and urban growth, and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise expressions would help you explain the benefits and risks without relying on repeated forms of “buildings” and “people.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “If lower quality material is used … then its standing strength … gets compromised.” This shows an effort to express cause and effect. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and punctuation sometimes make the meaning harder to follow. For example, “building tall apartments are best way” has a subject–verb agreement problem and is missing an article; “while provides increased capacity” lacks a clear grammatical subject; and “the need arise” does not agree with its subject. Some sentences also run together, as in the parking sentence. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, correct agreement, and appropriate punctuation.

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.