Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-23

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 6.5)

In some countries, an increasing number of people are interested in discovering the history of house or building where they live. This essay will discuss the main reasons for this trend and explain some ways people can research the history of their homes.

One reason why people are interested in the history of their homes is simple curiosity. They may want to know who lived there in the past, when the building was constructed and what happened there over the years. Knowing this information can make a home feel more special and meaningful to its current residents. Another reason is that some buildings have historical or architectural importance. Owners of old houses may want to understand their value and preserve their original features. For example, a family living in a house built more than hundred of years ago may become interested in its original design and previous owners.

There are several ways people can research the history of their homes. Firstly, they can search online records, government property documents, old newspapers and local historical websites. These sources may provide information about previous owners, construction dates and major events connected to the building. Secondly, people can speak to older neighbors, previous owners and local historians. These people may have knowledge that cannot easily found be found online. For instance, an elderly neighbors may remember who lived in a particular house several decades ago and provide useful information about its past.

In conclusion, people are increasingly interested in the history of their homes because of personal curiosity and the historical value of older buildings. They can research this information through online records, newspapers and official documents, as well as by speaking to previous owners, neighbors and local historians.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the reasons for investigating building history—such as personal curiosity and historical or architectural importance—and the methods for conducting such research, including online records and speaking with local experts. The ideas are relevant and supported by clear examples, such as a family living in a century-old house. The position is clear throughout, and the essay maintains a logical development of points from introduction to conclusion. The response satisfies the requirements of Band 7 by fully covering all parts of the task with extended and well-supported ideas, showing a good awareness of the prompt's demands.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, starting with an introduction, moving to the reasons, then the research methods, and finishing with a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader, such as 'One reason', 'Another reason', 'There are several ways', 'Firstly', and 'Secondly'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct aspects of the prompt. While referencing and substitution are generally clear, the mechanical nature of some transition markers prevents the response from reaching the highest band levels, placing it firmly at Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision with terms like 'curiosity', 'architectural importance', 'property documents', and 'historical websites'. There are occasional awkward phrasings, such as 'built more than hundred of years ago' (missing article/pluralisation issue) and 'cannot easily found be found online' (syntax slip in lexical chunk), but these errors do not impede communication. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of collocation, reflecting the descriptors for a Band 6.0 or solid Band 6.5, leaning towards the functional adequacy of Band 6.5, which rounds to 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional-like structures, as seen in 'They may want to know who lived there in the past...'. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'history of house' (missing article), 'built more than hundred of years ago' (article omission and phrasing error), and 'an elderly neighbors' (pluralisation mismatch). However, these errors are relatively minor and rarely impede overall communication. Because there is a good mix of structures and frequent error-free sentences alongside occasional lapses, this performance meets the criteria for Band 6.5, demonstrating solid control with minor persistent errors.

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