Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Whether living in high-rise buildings offers more advantages than low-rise housing is a subject of considerable debate. I completely agree with this stance. It not only offers all facilities at doorstep but also encourages people to help each other in the hour of need.

On the one hand, living in tall apartments offer several benefits. The main reason is that it provides facilities. People may obtain basic neccessities at a short distance. For example, hostel students may like to live in tall apartments. Because they are not familiar with the routes and trends of new city. They may struggle to find basic neccessities. That's why they choose to live in apartments because it provides everything at a short distance in cities. As a result, they may obtain everything with making much effort and this amkes their lives more easier.

On the other hand, it not only provides facilities but also encourages people to live together, and help each other in the hour of need. Living together also brings positive changes in individual's lives. For instance, In case of emergency, people may not only take care of themselves, helping their roommates or neighbors will be their first priority. They try their best to help their roommates first in an emergency. Therefore, living together not only provide facilities but also encourage people to stand with their mates in the hour of need.

To sum up, I completely agree with this view. . Although it provides facilities at doorstep but also develops a sense of mutual care during crises. In this way, it benefits the individual and society as a whole.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear in the opening and conclusion: you say you “completely agree,” and you give two reasons—nearby facilities and mutual support. These points are relevant to city housing, but the response only partially addresses the specific claim that tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide enough homes. Much of the discussion focuses on convenience and neighbourly care rather than housing capacity, land use, or how high-rise construction accommodates more residents. The hostel-student example is also general and does not clearly demonstrate why tall blocks are the best solution. Develop each reason with a direct link to the question and a specific explanation or example, and consider acknowledging a limitation before reaffirming your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the contrastive opening phrases “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the two points. However, progression within the paragraphs is limited: the first repeats the idea of nearby facilities, while the second repeats the claim that residents help one another. Some links are mechanical or unclear, such as “Because they are not familiar…” as a sentence fragment and “Therefore” introducing a restatement rather than a consequence. The conclusion also uses “Although” without completing a contrasting clause. Organise each paragraph around one distinct claim, explain it in sequence, and use referencing and linking expressions to show how each sentence advances the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-relevant expressions, including “high-rise buildings,” “basic necessities,” “hour of need” and “mutual care,” and the main ideas remain understandable. However, the vocabulary range is limited and several phrases are repetitive or imprecise: “provides facilities” and “at a short distance” recur, while “everything” is too broad to convey a specific benefit. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “neccessities” and “amkes,” and some unnatural collocations such as “with making much effort.” These issues reduce precision and can make the reader pause. Build a wider set of terms for housing and urban planning, and check spelling and collocations carefully when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex forms, including “It not only offers… but also…” and a conditional phrase beginning “In case of emergency.” However, the range is limited, and complex constructions are often inaccurate. For example, “living in tall apartments offer” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “living together not only provide” repeats this problem. “Because they are not familiar…” is a fragment, and “Although it provides facilities at doorstep but also develops…” combines clauses incorrectly. Other errors include “their lives more easier” and inconsistent punctuation, such as the extra full stop in the conclusion. Practise accurate agreement, complete subordinate clauses, and parallel “not only…but also” structures, then proofread sentence boundaries.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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