Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10
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 modern era most people are buying already built houses and flats instead of building it from scratch. Now more people are becoming interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they live in. This essay will examine the reasons for this and how people can research it.
To begin with, human beings are always curious about unknown facts. When a person buys a new house they always want to know what happened to the previous owner, like if they are alive or whether it was some one famous who lived there etc. People become more interested when they find any interesting artifacts from their house. For example an old painting which everyone thought was lost was found from a house hidden in the walls. It was found when they broke a side of the wall for repair works. Later it was found that it was a famous painting collector who built their house. So it is very natural for a person to know more about place where they are living.
Furthermore, researching about the history of their home is the hardest part but there are some ways people can find this. One of the easiest way is to search on the internet. If it had any ties with any famous or Important facts or people from the past it will show up on the Internet but if its not the next best bet is to ask around the neighborhood about the house, like when it was built or who was one who built it etc. They will surely get some answers to their questions. For Instance when one of my friend moved into a new house they asked their neighbors for such insights and it was known that famous film actor used to live in the same house back in the days, it was huge surprise for them.
Even though it is hard to research about the history of the house they live in it is not an impossible task most of the time.
Therefore, we can see that it is natural for people to know about the details and history of their houses they live in.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| 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 the interest in house history and methods for research. The ideas are relevant, such as human curiosity and the potential for discovering artifacts or historical connections. However, the development is somewhat superficial. The examples provided, such as the 'lost painting' or the 'famous film actor', are anecdotal and lack the depth required for a higher band. To improve, you should expand on the societal or psychological reasons for this trend and provide more detailed, analytical methods for research, such as consulting municipal archives or land registry records, rather than relying solely on neighbors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. There is a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'Therefore', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'if its not' in the second body paragraph, which lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother flow between sentences would elevate the score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific language like 'artifacts' and 'insights'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'broke a side of the wall' instead of 'demolished a section of the wall' or 'renovated'. The repetition of basic verbs like 'find' and 'know' also limits the lexical sophistication. To reach a higher band, incorporate more precise academic collocations and varied synonyms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' missing before 'Internet', 'the' missing before 'history'), subject-verb agreement ('one of my friend' should be 'one of my friends'), and punctuation. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'if its not the next best bet is to ask around'. These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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