Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The rapid urbanisation has led to a long debate over whether building tall apartment blocks is the best way to provide enough homes in large cities. While many people argue that tall building apartments is the most effective way to accommodate the fast-growing population in large cities, some believe other ways are there to solve this problem. I largely agree with this solution as not only it can solve rising accommodation crisis, on the other hand cities borders doesn’t needs to be expanded.
Although, construction of high-rise building can be really expensive and require extensive planning it is the most efficient way to deal with this on-going situation. In today’s rapidly evolving world most large cities have already adopted this system and it has proven to be successful. For example, in Singapore and South Korea most of population lives in an apartment. These countries are smaller in size and by doing so, they have saved enough land for other purposes like farming and industrialisation.
On the other hand, many countries fail to execute these plans. There are numerous reasons for this. These development projects are extremely expensive and risky. This is the reason many investors hesitate to invest in these plans. Additionally, there can be delay on these projects due to non availability of recourses and specialised equipment. There are many similar projects that are still pending due to those reasons.
In conclusion, I would say that there may be many disadvantages of adopting this system. However the advantages overcome the disadvantages moreover, this can be more helpful in the longer term.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt regarding tall apartment blocks and successfully presents a clear position throughout the essay. The student states, 'I largely agree with this solution,' and supports this view with arguments concerning land-saving benefits in densely populated countries like Singapore and South Korea. However, the task presented here is actually structured as an IELTS Academic or General Training Writing Task 2 essay rather than a General Training Task 1 letter, but evaluated purely on task response mechanics, the ideas are relevant, well-developed, and extended, despite some minor leaps in logic regarding investors and resources in the third paragraph. Overall, the student covers the central issues well, meeting the criteria for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range, and is awarded a solid Band 6.0 due to some under-development of alternative solutions mentioned in the introduction.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing used to separate the introduction, supporting arguments, counterarguments, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Although,' 'For example,' and 'On the other hand,' to guide the reader through the text. However, referencing is occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in the phrasing 'not only it can solve rising accommodation crisis, on the other hand cities borders doesn’t needs to be expanded,' which disrupts the logical flow and transition of ideas. Paragraphing is present and appropriate, but the lack of smoother internal cohesion keeps this criterion at a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for the topic, incorporating terms such as 'rapid urbanisation,' 'fast-growing population,' 'industrialisation,' and 'specialised equipment.' However, there are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'building tall building apartments' instead of 'building tall apartment blocks,' 'rising accommodation crisis' missing an article, and 'non availability of recourses' instead of 'resources.' While these errors do not impede overall communication, they demonstrate limited precision and flexibility, fitting comfortably within the Band 6 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as concessive clauses starting with 'Although' and conditional ideas. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'cities borders doesn’t needs to be expanded' and 'most of population lives.' Punctuation and article usage also show persistent flaws, such as 'delay on these projects due to non availability of recourses.' While these errors do not entirely obscure the meaning of the sentences, they prevent the essay from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.5 the most accurate reflection of current grammatical control.
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.