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)

The topic states that if we need enough space for houses the most appropriate way is to build appartment buildings. I will provide points both in favour and against this topic and then I will state wether i agree or disagree with this topic.

So first of all, having a tall apartment buildings can give extra space for living. It can also be a good solution for larger families in this way they can stay together in a same building and can avoid the concept of joint family system. In this way everyone will have privacy while still living together. Otheradvantage would be that tall buildings will provide more land for agriculture.

If we see the other side, this tall buildings will cost way more then haviing small single floor houses. It will require a intial investor or investors to come on board and to invest in such big projects which will also need a alot of time. Furthermore, tall buildings wil be difficult to maintain. For instance it will be hard to increase the wife signal range to the 50th floor per say. Other then this technical issuse will also are more likely to happen, such as shortage of power supply or the ellivator breakdown. This typeof issues will make it more difficult for people living there. Moreover, tall buildings are not suitable for elderly people living in those appartments as it will impact there social life and can contribute to unhealty living standards.

It is safe to say that tall building appartments might be a suitable option to provide more living space but in my opinion it disadvantages outweigh the advantages. So singke or two floor building is still a better option for countries like Pakistan.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the proposal and give a clear final view: you acknowledge that tall apartments can increase living space, but conclude that their disadvantages outweigh their benefits and favour low-rise housing in Pakistan. Relevant points include privacy for families, construction costs, maintenance, service failures and effects on older residents. However, the position is not fully clear from the beginning: the introduction promises to state whether you agree only later, and the conclusion does not explain why low-rise housing is preferable despite the pressure on urban land. Some points, such as the agricultural-land benefit and the impact on elderly residents, are asserted rather than explained or supported with a specific example. Develop the strongest reasons more fully and connect them directly to the question of providing enough homes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a paragraph discussing drawbacks, and a concluding opinion. The reader can follow the broad contrast, and signposts such as “So first of all,” “If we see the other side,” and “Moreover” make the direction of the argument apparent. This meets the lower-band expectations and shows some features of stronger organisation. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes list-like, with several points introduced but not linked or developed. The opening also announces a plan rather than stating your position, while the conclusion introduces low-rise housing without having compared it in detail. Use clearer links between claims and explanations, and make paragraph focus and the argument’s progression more deliberate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “privacy,” “maintain,” “power supply,” and “social life.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-form, and collocation errors make parts of the response less fluent to read. Examples include “appartment,” “haviing,” “intial investor,” “wife signal range,” and “unhealty living standards.” Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “provide more land for agriculture” and “technical issuse,” which do not clearly express the intended point. Aim for accurate, natural combinations such as “free up land for agriculture,” “initial investment,” and “mobile-phone signal.” Proofreading spelling and choosing precise topic vocabulary would make your meaning clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional idea about families living together and a sentence beginning “Furthermore.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity, and complex constructions are not consistently controlled. For example, “having a tall apartment buildings can give” has a number and agreement problem, while “It will require a intial investor … which will also need a alot of time” has article, reference and clause-structure problems. There are also sentence-boundary issues in “For instance it will be hard … per say,” and “Other then this technical issuse will also are more likely to happen.” Practise accurate articles, subject–verb agreement, and complete sentence structures, then check punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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.