Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many places, new homes are needed, but the only space available for building them is in the countryside. Some people believe it is more important to protect the countryside and not build new homes there.

What is your opinion about this?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

One of the pressing argument widely raised in the society is that several people believe that in fast paced development new housing construction are prerequisite requirement which could be planned well on the outer-skirts area of the city whereas on the contradictory side, others disagree due to rise in global warming and to curb down its impact on the environment is essential to protect the remaining ecosystem for the equilibrium between mankind and mother nature.

To commence with, urban planners should plan out the layout of the city in a way to maintain a balance of greenscape and hardscape. In such instances, government should decrease valuation of houses in the city allowing budget friendly stays. To exemplify it better, architects and builders together should plan residential building in a vertical form by incorporating efficiency and greenery by maintaining the regulations and by-laws of the town.

Nevertheless, due to escalation of deforestation in cosmopoliton cities it essential to have a balanced ratio of concrete blocks verses openness. However, it could only be achieved by saving land on the countryside. Several reforms should be carried out by the private companies and government together for a better future prospects of the upcoming generations. Moreover, by saving flora and fauna can benefit a lot by helping animals getting extincted and endangered. Additionally, it could also lead to increase in carbon emission by plummeting level of oxygen, which could have detrimental impact on wellbeing of human beings.

To recapitulate, this essay outweighs the benefits of preserving the air quality index in the countryside instead of proliferation of built up area, by breaking the monotony of living in the world being surrounded by tall skyscrapers and huge infrastructure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the tension between housing needs and environmental protection. However, the position is somewhat inconsistent. While the introduction suggests a balanced view, the body paragraphs focus heavily on urban planning solutions rather than directly arguing for or against building in the countryside. The ideas are present but lack sufficient development; for instance, the suggestion to 'decrease valuation of houses' is mentioned without explaining how this relates to the core dilemma of land use. To improve, ensure that every paragraph directly supports your stated opinion and provides concrete, logical reasoning for why one side is more compelling than the other.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with', 'Nevertheless', and 'To recapitulate', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly forced. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the third paragraph where the link between 'saving flora and fauna' and 'helping animals getting extincted' is somewhat disjointed. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that pronouns and references clearly point to their antecedents would enhance the overall coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with attempts at more sophisticated terms like 'prerequisite', 'ecosystem', and 'detrimental'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'getting extincted' (should be 'becoming extinct'), 'plummeting level of oxygen' (which is logically confusing in context), and 'on the contradictory side' (should be 'conversely' or 'on the other hand'). These errors occasionally impede the precision of your argument. To reach a higher band, focus on using collocations accurately and avoiding non-standard phrasing that obscures your intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is an attempt at complex grammar, there are frequent errors in syntax and agreement, such as 'One of the pressing argument' (should be 'arguments') and 'new housing construction are' (should be 'is'). The sentence structure in the introduction is overly long and convoluted, making it difficult to follow. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors throughout. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that complex sentences are constructed with clear, logical clauses rather than long strings of phrases.

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

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