Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-06
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)
More people are curious in finding the history about the houses they live in or building, Can be because of different reasons and there are many ways to research about this.
Many reasons can play part in the curiosity of people about the history of their houses. One can be awareness about a crime, let's say they bought a house and there were some criminals living in the house before them, and for instance the did some unlawful activity in the past but in future this family can be considered subject to it. Similarly, what if this house was built on some graves or there was a treasure from ancient times underneath the house which they don't know about. May be there was a meth lab in the house before them. So, there can be many reasons for this.
There are a lot of ways by which people can research about the history of their homes, They can ask neighbors or nearby people who are living in that area, could get a book about the heritage from a local library, search on internet, ask the people who were living before them. Even ask the police if there was any crime in the house, or local municipal community, to know if its a disputed land. There are many things people can do which can give them pretty good idea about the place they are living in or going to live.
It is a very smart thing a person can do, to find about his home because there can be many reasons that can cause trouble for them.
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 both parts of the prompt: reasons for interest in property history and methods for research. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. The reasons provided, such as 'meth labs' or 'graves', are quite sensationalist rather than exploring common motivations like architectural heritage or genealogical interest. The explanation of research methods is a list of suggestions rather than a well-developed discussion. To improve, you should expand on your points with more depth and logical flow. The conclusion is very brief and does not effectively summarize the main points or provide a final thought, which limits the overall impact of your argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. You rely on simple transitions like 'Many reasons can play part' and 'There are a lot of ways'. Some sentences are run-on or lack proper punctuation, such as 'Many reasons can play part in the curiosity of people about the history of their houses. One can be awareness about a crime, let's say they bought a house...'. The use of cohesive devices is limited, and the progression of ideas feels disjointed. Improving the use of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in addition') would help create a more professional and coherent structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You use repetitive phrasing, such as 'there are many reasons' and 'there are a lot of ways'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'curious in finding' (should be 'curious about finding') and 'subject to it'. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited to common, everyday language. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more academic or topic-specific vocabulary related to property, history, and investigation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'the history about the houses' (should be 'history of'), 'the did some unlawful activity' (should be 'they did'), and 'to know if its a disputed land' (should be 'it is'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several comma splices and missing articles. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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