Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In some countries, more and more people are becoming interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they live in.
What are the reasons for this?
How can people research this?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
In recent years, in some countries more and more people are becoming interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they live in. They wanted to feel connected to their houses and to understand their values.
To begin with, the main reason is curiosity and connection. They want to feel connection to their home, not just live in a box. From old people they listen histroy and stories of their houses. For example, in some areas of Pakistan some houses are built before the partition of 1947, so they were curious who built it and who lived there before, so they want to know the identity of their houses. Another reason is practical and money. Some old building may have problem, weak structure, writing and damp. If they know the histroy of their house such as it is 50 years old so they can repair it accordingly and its prices will go up and they are also important for the safety.
Moreover, the reason for reasearch is they can talk to people. They can talk about its histroy from old people, neighbours and previous owners. They told the interesting stories about the house that cannot be found in any book. Its also important for maintaining offficial records.They came to know about the old style of building houses.
In coclusion, individuals are increasinglyinterested in the histroy of their homes because they want to develop a stronger sense of belonging and to understant the practical value and condition of their property. People can gain a fuller picture of the place they live in.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address both questions: you give reasons such as curiosity, belonging, property safety and value, and suggest asking older residents, neighbours and previous owners. The Pakistan example about homes built before the 1947 partition helps make one reason more specific. However, several points remain brief or unclear: the discussion of repairs and prices is not fully explained, and the research methods are limited mainly to conversations rather than showing how people could verify what they learn. The conclusion summarises the reasons but does not develop the research answer. The response contains 241 words, so it is 9 words below the required minimum; the 24 words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop each part with a little more explanation and a further research method.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response has an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the ideas are generally grouped by purpose: reasons first, followed by ways to research. Linking phrases such as “To begin with,” “Moreover” and “In conclusion” help signal these sections. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. For example, the paragraph beginning “Moreover” moves from talking to neighbours to official records and then building styles without explaining how these points connect. Some references, such as “They told the interesting stories,” are also unclear because the reader must infer who “they” refers to. Use topic sentences that state each paragraph’s focus, and connect examples and explanations more explicitly rather than relying mainly on basic transition phrases.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “sense of belonging,” “previous owners,” “weak structure” and “official records.” The example about the history of houses in Pakistan also gives the response some specific language. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, such as “feel connection,” “the identity of their houses” and “its prices will go up.” Spelling errors, including “histroy,” “reasearch” and “coclusion,” are noticeable and reduce the accuracy of the writing. Aim to use more precise phrases for researching a property and describing its historical or practical value, and proofread carefully for spelling and word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
Most of your sentences use straightforward structures, and the main message is usually understandable. You also attempt longer sentences to explain causes and examples, such as the sentence about houses built before the partition. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some relationships difficult to follow. For example, “They wanted to feel connected” shifts into the past despite the present-time topic, while “some old building may have problem” has problems with number and articles. The sentence beginning “For example” also joins several ideas with repeated “so,” making its structure hard to control. Practise accurate present-tense statements, singular and plural forms, and shorter, clearly punctuated sentences before adding more complex clauses.
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