Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-03

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 can be argued that high-rise buildings are the best way to provide sufficient housing in bigger cities and although I partially agree with this idea yet I believe it has certain limitations and drawbacks.

Growing population in bigger cities means that more and more houses are needed to satisfy the accommodation requirements and high-rise apatrtments can significantly solve the problem of available land as more people occupy less land when aprtments are build one on another.

However, it can have certain negaive effects as well such as it can give a sense of suffocation to the people who move into these cities from countryside and are used to live in spacious homes with more air and sunlight. Overcrowding citiesSecondly, accommodation is not the only problem but living conditions also matter. More saturated cities means more public transport and more healthcare services will be required to satisfy optimum living standards.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You take a relevant, partly balanced position: you acknowledge that high-rise apartments use land efficiently, then raise concerns about residents’ comfort and pressure on services. These points address the question, but the response only partially develops your argument. For example, the claim that apartments “can significantly solve the problem of available land” is not supported with a concrete example or explanation of how this would provide enough homes. The concerns about sunlight, transport and healthcare are also introduced but not explored, and your final position is not fully clarified. The response is 100 words below the required minimum, which leaves too little space to develop and support your ideas. Extend each main point with explanation and a relevant example, and state clearly how far you agree in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a basic progression from the benefit of building upwards to possible disadvantages, and linking expressions such as “However” and “Secondly” help signal the shift. The ideas are generally relevant and can be followed, but the response has no clear paragraphing or concluding stage, so the overall argument feels unfinished. Some connections are also awkward: “although I partially agree … yet” uses two contrasting markers together, while “Overcrowding citiesSecondly” appears to join an incomplete phrase directly to the next point. Organise the response into an introduction, separate body paragraphs for the benefit and drawbacks, and a conclusion. Use linking words selectively and make sure each sentence connects clearly to the one before it.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “high-rise buildings,” “available land,” “accommodation requirements,” “suffocation,” and “living conditions.” These choices show an attempt to discuss housing and urban pressures beyond very basic terms, and the main meaning is usually clear. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “satisfy the accommodation requirements,” “more saturated cities,” and “optimum living standards.” There are also spelling errors, including “apatrtments,” “aprtments,” and “negaive,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural combinations and proofread carefully. For instance, describe meeting housing demand, densely populated cities, and maintaining an adequate standard of living.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms. The opening sentence uses a concession structure, and the explanation beginning “as more people occupy less land” shows an effort to connect cause and result. However, some sentences are overloaded or contain faulty constructions, which makes the argument less smooth. In “although I partially agree … yet I believe,” the contrast is expressed twice; “people … are used to live” needs a different verb pattern; and “More saturated cities means” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The sentence about public transport and healthcare also shifts awkwardly from “it can” to “they.” Use shorter, controlled sentences when developing each point, and check agreement, verb patterns and punctuation during revision.

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