Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-10

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 increasing number of people are getting interested about the history of the house or building they live. This attributed can lead to different factors and their are different ways throw which people can find information about their properties.

One major reason that why people have a curiosity about knowing their house or building history. Firstly, how old the building is and what change they have undergone their. Secondly, wonder about knowing that a house has once occupied by a famous personality or plays an important role in history can make then more meaningful about living their. Furthermore, investigating building have more benefit about knowing the structural problem or previous renovation.

There are several ways to research the history of a property. First, people can visit local libraries, archives, or government offices to examine old maps, property records, and historical documents. These sources may provide details about previous owners, the construction date, and the original purpose of the building. Second, interviewing long-term residents or previous owners can be particularly useful, as they may have personal knowledge of the property's past that is not recorded in official documents. Finally, the internet offers another convenient method of investigation. Online historical databases, newspaper archives, and local history websites can provide photographs, articles, and other relevant information. Combining these sources can help people build a more accurate picture of their homes' history.

In conclusion, people are increasing take interest in knowing more and more in finding about the history of the house or building they live because of their curiosity and knowing about the previous renovation and other structural problems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you give reasons for interest, including curiosity about a building’s age, past occupants and renovations, and outline research through records, interviews and online sources. The research methods are relevant and reasonably specific, but the reasons are less clearly explained; for example, the point about a famous former occupant is difficult to follow, and the structural-benefit idea is not fully connected to why people become interested. The conclusion repeats the reasons rather than drawing the two parts together. The response contains 249 words, so it is one word below the required minimum; the 20 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop each reason more clearly and ensure the response meets the minimum.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on reasons, a paragraph on research methods and a conclusion. The research paragraph progresses clearly from official records to interviews and online sources, and phrases such as “First,” “Second” and “Finally” help signal this sequence. However, the reasons paragraph is harder to follow: “Firstly” and “Secondly” introduce points, but the ideas are expressed in incomplete or unclear sentences, weakening the links between them. The conclusion also repeats earlier content without summarising the research methods. Use complete topic sentences and connect each reason to its explanation; vary linking devices so the organisation feels less list-like.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “property records,” “historical documents,” “previous owners,” “renovation” and “structural problem.” The research paragraph shows that you can select precise terms for this subject. However, the range is uneven, and several inaccurate or unnatural expressions make the opening and reasons difficult to understand, such as “interested about,” “their are different ways throw which,” and “make then more meaningful.” Some wording is also repetitive, particularly the repeated references to “knowing” and “history.” Aim for accurate collocations and more varied phrasing, such as “interested in learning about” and “gain a deeper understanding of the property’s past.” Proofread spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and several sentences in the research paragraph are controlled—for example, “These sources may provide details about previous owners, the construction date, and the original purpose of the building.” However, errors are frequent in the opening and reasons paragraph and sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “This attributed can lead,” “their are,” and “a house has once occupied,” which show problems with verb forms, agreement and sentence construction. The sentence beginning “One major reason that why…” is also not a complete, well-formed statement. Practise building accurate subject–verb sentences first, then add subordinate clauses; check articles, verb forms and pronoun references during revision.

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.