Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-13

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 most of the countries,many people are interested in finding out about the history of the houses or buildings they live in. This essay will explain what are the main reasons and how can people research this.

There are several reasons why people are interested in the history of houses and buildings one of them are the people curiosity of how the buildings are made in the ancient time and also who live there before them, another reason is that the houses may have historical importance.For example, some houses may have belonged to their ancestors, as a result they want to know how they live there and how they made the house. Moreover, the safety is also an important factor, they may want to know whether the building has experienced fires, floods or structural problems.

Regarding, the research of house history people read different kind of books about the making of houses and buildings. Interview previous owners and engineers who made the house. By visiting libraries search about the constructions and designs of the buildings and gain hand of knowledge about it. They also research it by the old documents of their property and by the government old records. Furthermore they also searched in the internet for old photography, maps and different types of articles.

In conclusion, these factors and research methods are very useful for most of the people, some have curiosity, some want to now their ancestors history of living because they want to maintain the same things in their houses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you give reasons such as curiosity, family connections and concern about safety, then suggest books, interviews, libraries, property documents and online sources. These ideas are relevant, but several are only briefly stated. For example, the point about historical importance is not explained beyond the possibility that a house belonged to ancestors, and the research methods would be stronger with a specific example of how a source could reveal a building’s past. The conclusion repeats the reasons rather than drawing the discussion together. The response is also 244 words, six words below the required minimum; the nine words copied from the prompt are not included in that count. Develop the examples and ensure the response meets the minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on reasons, a paragraph on research, and a conclusion. The order of the two main sections is logical, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “For example,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships. However, progression within sentences and paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and some transitions feel mechanical. The reasons are joined in a long sequence, while the research paragraph lists methods without explaining how they connect or which might be most useful. Punctuation also makes some boundaries difficult to follow, as in “Regarding, the research of house history people read…”. Use clearer topic sentences, separate distinct ideas, and make references such as “these factors” more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “historical importance,” “structural problems,” “previous owners,” “government old records,” and “maps.” This shows an attempt to discuss both the past and practical research sources. However, the range is limited and several choices or combinations sound unnatural, such as “gain hand of knowledge,” “old photography,” and “the people curiosity.” Repetition of “houses and buildings,” “research,” and “history” also reduces flexibility. Aim for more precise collocations and vary repeated terms—for instance, refer to “property records” or “historical archives” where appropriate. Check word forms and spelling carefully, including “know” where you mean “know about” or “learn,” and “photographs” rather than “photography” when referring to images.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including a sentence beginning “For example” and one using “whether,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement and sentence construction occur in “one of them are” and “the people curiosity,” while “who live there before them” does not use the appropriate past form. Several sentences also lack clear grammatical boundaries or punctuation, particularly the long sentence listing reasons and “Regarding, the research of house history people read…”. The conclusion shifts to “some have curiosity” and “they want to maintain” without a clear grammatical connection to the earlier ideas. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, past-tense forms, articles and sentence boundaries before adding more complex structures.

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.