Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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 some nations, people are increasingly interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they live in. This essay will explore the reasons behind this interest and outline some common methods people use to investigate it.

People have been eager to know the history about their houses and building especially those that are old and probably hold a significant importance in history. This is because it gives a type of curiosity of owned this place decades ago and if their places holds any history that they can know and share with others. For example, houses and building near railway station and their shape and old design were different than usual design and always use to make me curious to wonder who build these houses. Therefore, people look forward to these ask questions and wonder if anyone knows the answers.

People usually ask these questions to elders who have been living here for decades like grandparents. This is because they can answer these questions more accurately since they lived here and can help answers these question. Another way of finding out is through these advanced technology and software that can help us track the information of ownerships of previously resident people. For example, My grandma used to tell us that an old building was owned by a british family in 1940 when she was 12. Another example is by putting your history and data into google advanced maps like google earth and QGIS to track the previous ownership. however, people can check their residence history.

In conclusion, curiosity make people ask questions and everything is answerable in this world. Thus, with technology or by elders you can know the history of your building and houses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for interest in building history and methods for research. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. The reasons provided—curiosity and historical significance—are mentioned but not deeply explored. The methods section is more practical, citing elders and technology, but the explanation of how these tools work is quite brief. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed examples or elaborate on the implications of these research methods. The conclusion is also quite simplistic and does not effectively summarize the main points of the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the phrase 'This is because' is used multiple times in succession, which limits the flow. Some transitions, such as 'Therefore, people look forward to these ask questions', are grammatically awkward and hinder the logical progression of ideas. While the overall arrangement is coherent, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the occasional confusion in referencing (e.g., 'these ask questions') prevent a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'things', 'places', and 'houses'. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'finding out the history about their houses' (should be 'of') and 'track the information of ownerships'. While the meaning is clear, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to historical research and architecture.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'curiosity of owned this place' (should be 'curiosity about who owned'), 'if their places holds' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'curiosity make people' (should be 'makes'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization (e.g., 'british', 'google'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a need for more careful proofreading and a better grasp of basic sentence construction and agreement rules.

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.