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)

In many big cities the surge of population cause rise in demand of afforable houses .Some people aurgue that best way to provide enough homes in large cities is to build tall apartment blocks.I disagree with this statement.

On one hand high rise building can accomodate large amount of people in limited space one block of high rise building can hold thousand of people when land are limited in cities and are very expansive. For example cities like karachi where land is very limited and high rise building provide accomodation for million of resident .Futhermore high rise can reduce the need of urban expansion and make city housing more affordable also people can facilites

more from government facilites like public transportation.

On other hand relying on tall building is not a good solution, high rise building can cause many issue .Because it can cause small places to be overcrowded and effect quality of life and has negative effect on resident health, because of small personal space.Secondly construction of tall buiding is very expansive and need large infrastructure like electricity, roads, water supply and drainage system. Government need more resources and big budget to fullful big cities needs, instead governmet should provide more afforable houses schemes in suburban area and improve road infrastructure and public transportation that connect people to the cities.

In conclusion its not the best and only option to that tall building blocks in big cities can provide enough housing for large amount of people.Combination of tall towers blocks, suburban affordable housing and renovation of old houses is best approach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear position by stating, “I disagree,” and the conclusion proposes a mixed approach rather than relying only on towers. You also address both sides: the capacity of high-rise housing and concerns about crowding, infrastructure costs, and suburban alternatives. However, several points are asserted rather than explained—for example, the claim that towers affect residents’ health is not supported with a specific explanation or example, and the Karachi example is brief. The response is also 248 words, so it falls two words short of the required 250; the 15 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop your reasons with clearer cause-and-effect explanation and a relevant example to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting considerations, and a conclusion. “On one hand,” “On other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several ideas are crowded together, and the first body paragraph ends with an incomplete thought: “people can facilites more from government facilites like public transportation.” The relationship between the disadvantages and the proposed suburban solution could also be made more explicit. Use clearer topic sentences, separate distinct reasons, and connect each example directly to the point it supports. This would make the overall progression easier to follow and reduce reliance on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “urban expansion,” “overcrowded,” “infrastructure,” and “public transportation,” which helps communicate the main ideas. However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, particularly “high rise building” and “affordable houses.” Frequent spelling errors—such as “afforable,” “accomodate,” and “expansive”—and inaccurate word choices such as “facilites” and “renovation of old houses” make parts of the response harder to understand. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully. For instance, distinguish “expensive” from “expansive,” and use “housing” or “accommodation” where appropriate. More accurate topic vocabulary would make your argument clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause beginning “Because” and a contrast between high-rise and suburban housing. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. Examples include “the surge of population cause rise,” where the subject and verb do not agree and articles are missing, and “when land are limited,” where the noun and verb do not match. Some sentences run together without clear punctuation, such as the sentence beginning “On one hand high rise building…”; other clauses are incomplete or awkwardly joined. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, plural forms, and sentence boundaries. Building shorter, controlled sentences first will help you express complex ideas more reliably.

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

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