Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-04

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 apartment blocks may the best path to give enough homes in large cities and I agree with this statement. The reasons behind that are, taller apartment blocks gives opportunity for living more families in the same building and provides space for a source of better living .

Firstly, when the building is built taller it means more apartment blocks remain there which enables more space for living. A lot of families can stay in the same building and the shortage of home in a large city will reduce. For example, the tall apartment blocks may provide 10 families living space in a certain land, but the short apartment blocks or flat building in the same amount of land may support only two or three families living space. This phenomenon describes the reduction of the availability of home that is required for large cities in the lack of tall apartment blocks.

Additionally, when the home requires for a large amount of people in a large city, it reduces the land amount in a city by creating building here and there for different families. The requirement of more lands for building may reduce the amount of bare lands, trees or the playground,parks for children and people. By creating tall apartment blocks in a small land will reduce the requirement of land and can protect our place for different uses, keeping the environment suitable for better living like getting fresh air from trees or playing the children in the park or playground, as well as by increasing the availability of homes in large cities.

In conclusions, constructing tall apartment blocks is the best way for the availability and required amount of homes for large cities which provides large opportunity to live many families in the apartment and also reducing the destroying lands for building.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the opening: you agree that tall apartment blocks are the best way to provide homes in large cities. You give two relevant reasons: they can house more families on a limited site, and they can reduce pressure to build over green or recreational land. The comparison between a tall building accommodating ten families and a shorter one accommodating two or three helps illustrate the first point. However, the second reason is explained more fully than it is supported, and the comparison would be stronger with a specific example or clearer explanation of how height preserves land. The response addresses the question, but some ideas remain general or under-developed; develop each reason with more precise support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion that restates your position. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” and “Additionally” help readers follow the argument, and the examples are placed alongside the points they support. Some connections are less clear, however. The sentence beginning “This phenomenon describes the reduction…” is difficult to follow and repeats the point about housing availability rather than advancing it. The second body paragraph also combines several effects—land use, trees, parks, fresh air and housing—so its progression becomes crowded. Use clearer links between cause and result, and organise each paragraph around one main claim with a focused explanation.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “shortage,” “availability,” “bare lands,” “playground” and “environment,” and you attempt to express ideas about density and land use. However, the range is limited by repeated use of “large cities,” “building” and “homes,” while several word combinations are unnatural or unclear. For example, “provides space for a source of better living” and “the requirement of more lands” do not express your intended meaning precisely. Some choices, such as “destroying lands,” also sound imprecise in this context. Build a more flexible set of collocations for housing and urban planning, and check that each phrase conveys a clear, natural meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses with “when,” “which” and “by,” and the main argument is generally understandable. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with subject–verb agreement, articles and sentence construction. For instance, “taller apartment blocks gives” should use a plural verb, while “when the home requires for a large amount of people” has an unclear and faulty clause structure. The opening phrase “may the best path” is also missing a verb form. Long sentences in the second body paragraph make these problems harder to control. Practise accurate agreement and clause patterns, and divide sentences when several ideas are being joined.

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