Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-28

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 countries, an increased number of people are found to be curious about the history of the house or building they live in. There are a number of possible reasons on why people might be digging into the past.

One major reason is that people want to be sure that their house had not been used for anything illegal or unwanted in the past. Sometimes things from the past can affect people currently living there. For example, there was a man and his family living in the house opposite to my uncle's house. They had to face many legal issues following the police discovering that a serious crime had taken place in the house that they had moved in. Although the crime happened before they moved in, they had to be a part of the questioning. Such issues are quite common nowadays due to the increase in crimes and other illegal activities. Also people who believe in superstitions try to uncover the history of the house to make sure that nobody had died of any unnatural causes in the past. Another reason for the same is mere curiosity to know more and probably because some people have a lot of spare time to be digging up on such details.

Research can be done on the same by conducting surveys on people who have moved into houses, that were previously occupied by other people and asking them the possible reasons why they would be interested in the history of the place they are living in. Also researchers could look into cases like the ones I mentioned above where people land in legal troubles because of the house they stay in. Talking to people who live in apartments or other rented spaces can also help gather information on the same.

Overall, there is an increase in the number of people who want to know about the history of their houses. Increased curiosity, more free time, or fear of getting caught in unwanted issues might be the possible reasons for the same. Moreover increase in crimes and scams force people to have trust issues with everything that they even start looking into such things.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the interest and methods of research. However, the second part of the task is misinterpreted. The prompt asks how individuals can research the history of their own homes (e.g., public records, archives, local libraries). Instead, you suggest conducting surveys on other people, which is a research methodology rather than a practical way for a homeowner to find information about their property. This leads to an under-development of the second part of the task. While the reasons provided are relevant, the research methods section lacks practical applicability, which limits the overall task response score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'One major reason', 'Also', and 'Moreover'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes repetitive or slightly mechanical. For instance, the transition between the reasons and the research methods is abrupt. The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly rather than relying on simple additive conjunctions.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'superstitions', 'unnatural causes', and 'legal issues'. However, the vocabulary is somewhat basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'digging into the past' and 'digging up on such details' are informal and used twice. There is a lack of more sophisticated or precise academic vocabulary that would elevate the response. While communication is never impeded, the lexical range is not sufficiently broad to reach the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the house that they had moved in' (should be 'moved into') and 'reasons on why' (should be 'reasons why'). Additionally, 'the house opposite to my uncle's house' is slightly awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on preposition usage and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater precision.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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