Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-06

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)

In various countries, many people are becoming enthusiastic in finding out about the history of the house or apartment they live in. This essay discusses both the reasons for this and the ways people can research this.

Humans are curious creatures, and they always tend to seek the data and information of the things that are available around them. One of the main reasons could be curiosity. For instance, the majority of people want to know the scenario, stories, and cost of the time when the house was built. Another reason could be for research purposes. For example, after the devastating earthquake in Nepal, much modern infrastructure collapsed, but there were many buildings that were unharmed, which were built in ancient times. This incident draws the attention of many people from the engineering worlds. They investigated the styles, the material used, and the time they built. Additionally, another reason could be emotional attachment. People spent their lifetime savings on building houses, and the descendants want to recall their memories and the struggles of their parents while building houses.

Moreover, people can research these histories in various ways. One of the most convenient ways is to ask out the history to the parents or the landlord if they are living on rent.

Similarly, various data can be found in archives if the buildings are public properties. Nowadays, there is a trend of publicizing information on the wall of historic monuments.

In conclusion, curiosity, research, and emotional attachment are the key reasons, and the public domain, the internet, and archives are the places where people can research.

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. The ideas are relevant, such as curiosity, engineering interest, and emotional attachment. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the point about engineering is interesting but could have been expanded with more detail on how one actually accesses such technical data. The conclusion is brief and merely lists the points rather than synthesising them. To reach a higher band, ensure that each reason and method is fully extended with clear, logical explanations and perhaps a more specific personal or real-world example.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'Additionally', and 'Moreover', which help the flow of ideas. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the progression within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the earthquake example and the emotional attachment point is abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure would benefit from more sophisticated linking words to connect the ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'devastating', 'infrastructure', and 'descendants'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'ask out the history' (should be 'ask about') and 'engineering worlds' (should be 'engineering field'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed to reach a higher band score.

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 several grammatical errors, such as 'the time they built' (should be 'the time they were built') and 'the cost of the time when the house was built'. Punctuation is generally correct, but some phrasing is awkward. The error frequency is noticeable but does not impede communication. To improve, focus on passive voice constructions for historical descriptions and ensure subject-verb agreement is consistent throughout the text.

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

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