Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-29

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)

This is common in every country because nowadays, people are interested in history and find old buildings interesting. This may be because they look unique or different. Some people want to explore them because they want to see the things that happened in the past and learn how they looked at that time.

Firstly, this happens because when people study about the past and learn about different places, they want to explore them. Furthermore, historical buildings have many unique and creative features, which is why people mostly want to visit them.

Secondly, people may live in a beautiful country, but they always want to explore something new. In addition, people who like to learn about history want to explore historical places. Therefore, they are interested in visiting these places even if their own hometown or country is beautiful.

Lastly, I think it is a good thing because it helps people take a break from their busy routines. They can spend some time visiting historical buildings, which can reduce their stress and give them time to think about different things from the past.

To wrap up my arguments, if a person is interested in learning about the past and exploring different historical places, I think it is a really good habit. It gives people time to think creatively and learn about the people who built these places and the ideas behind them. Therefore, instead of stopping people from doing this, we should motivate them because not everyone has this kind of interest.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt only partially. While it touches upon reasons for interest in historical buildings, it fails to address the second part of the question: 'How can people research this?'. The ideas provided are repetitive and lack depth, focusing more on general tourism rather than the specific context of researching the history of one's own home. The arguments are underdeveloped, and the essay lacks a clear position or specific examples relevant to the task. To improve, you must ensure all parts of the prompt are answered and provide concrete, relevant examples to support your points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the progression of ideas is weak. The use of cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'Lastly' is somewhat mechanical and does not always logically connect the ideas. For instance, the transition between the reasons for interest and the benefits of visiting historical buildings is abrupt. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall flow feels disjointed. To achieve a higher band, focus on creating a clearer logical progression between sentences and using a wider, more natural variety of linking words.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for basic communication but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on simple, repetitive words such as 'interesting', 'explore', and 'beautiful'. There is little attempt to use less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions. Phrases like 'things that happened in the past' could be replaced with more academic terminology. To improve, try to incorporate topic-specific vocabulary related to history, architecture, and research methods, and work on using more precise adjectives and verbs to convey your ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there is a lack of variety in sentence construction. Grammatical control is inconsistent; for example, 'when people study about the past' is slightly unnatural (study the past is better). There are no major errors that impede communication, but the lack of complex, error-free sentences limits the score. To improve, focus on using a wider range of grammatical structures, such as passive voice or conditional sentences, and ensure your subject-verb agreement and preposition usage are consistently accurate.

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