Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

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 most viable method to have enough accomodation in big cities is to construct huge building structures. I agree with this because it will create enough space for thousands of people to live and would also boost the infrastructure of the cities.

In big cities, there is not enough space for millions of people to live so if tall buildings are constructed, alot of individuals would be living under one huge building compared to several short blocks. Therefore, that free space could be utilized for other tall blocks to create enough homes for population of big cities and individuals would be able to live under one roof rather than scattered places. For instance, in Newyork, government have constructed huge skylines around the city to provide a living place for individuals.

Not only that it would create space, but also huge buildings could boost up the overall infrastructure because empty space could be used for restaurants, shopping malls, metro, and other city life activities. However, if short blocks were constructed, that would lead to more number of blocks which would occupy alot of space and you would have less entertainment facilities. For example, in China, government officials build metro station inside the huge building to manage the space, this would lead to more economical growth.

In conclusion, urban areas should have large skylines to avoid occupying all the space for just accomodation and to utilize that null space for other instrastructure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that tall apartment buildings are the best way to provide homes, and you give two relevant reasons—saving space and supporting city infrastructure. The New York and China examples help illustrate these points. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the examples are broad and do not explain how many homes are provided or why this approach is better than alternatives such as building on the outskirts or renovating existing housing. The claim that tall buildings create space for facilities also needs clearer explanation. The response contains 240 words, so it does not meet the required minimum of 250. Develop each reason with a more specific explanation and example, and ensure the response reaches the required length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion that restates your view. Linking expressions such as “Therefore,” “Not only that,” and “However” help show relationships between ideas. Overall, the reader can follow your argument. Some connections are less clear or mechanical, though. For example, “Not only that it would create space” is an awkward transition, and the final sentence of the China example does not clearly connect the metro station to economic growth. The phrase “under one roof” also does not precisely refer back to the idea of housing across a city. Use clearer transitions and make each example’s link to its paragraph’s main point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “infrastructure,” “accommodation,” “metro,” and “economical growth,” and your meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts to use more specific expressions such as “tall buildings” and “shopping malls.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural, which limits the clarity and flexibility of the vocabulary. “Huge building structures” and “large skylines” do not accurately describe apartment blocks, while “null space” is not a natural phrase for unused urban land. Spelling errors such as “accomodation,” “alot,” and “instrastructure” are noticeable. Aim for precise collocations and check spelling carefully; this will make your argument sound more natural and exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if tall buildings are constructed” and a contrast between tall and short blocks. Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “government have constructed” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “for population of big cities” is missing a determiner. The construction “Not only that it would create space, but also…” is also faulty, and “that would lead to more number of blocks” is not grammatically well formed. Work on agreement, articles, and parallel sentence structures, and revise longer sentences to ensure that each clause is complete and clearly connected.

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