Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-16

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 is becoming invested in knowing about the history of the house or building in which they reside. While for some people this is just for sentimental reasons, for others the reasons go deeper. In general, it could be that people want to be able to tell the backstory of the origin of their home, identify any safety concerns, or purely for bragging rights. Some people research on this information by delving into municipal records or historical brochures, while others comb in online rental reviews.

It is worth noting that some people attach utmost reverence to buildings that have historical relevance. For instance, homes shared previously by famous people like Julius Nyerere or Nelson Mandela hold a special place in many peoples' hearts. Knowing that one lives in a home with such an ancestry grants one undeniable bragging rights. Some go as far as hanging parchments with this information on their living-room walls!

Additionally, some buildings have been known to raise safety or security concerns. For instance, homes where burglaries have been reported before, or buildings that had flooding occurences. In such cases, people are curious to know how such historical mishaps were handled, if at all, and whether there is now re-assurance that no such incidents are likely to recur.

Consequently, people do their research on this history by consulting municipalities under which these homes fall. For example, many neighbourhoods have brochures or records showing previous owners or reviews from previous tenants, all of which can be good sources of this historical information. Additionally, it is possible to find this information by scouring the internet for online documentations about buildings of interest.

In conclusion, people may increasingly be interested in finding out about the history of their homes so as to attach some importance to their origin or array any fears they may have about their safety. Information on this can sometimes be sourced from available official government records or electronic sources on the internet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both questions: it gives reasons for interest, including historical associations and safety concerns, and suggests municipal records, brochures and online sources. The examples involving homes associated with Mandela or Nyerere and buildings affected by flooding make the discussion relevant. The opening and conclusion also keep the focus on the topic. However, the reasons are not equally developed: the sentimental motive is mentioned briefly, while the safety point receives more explanation. The research methods could also be made more specific—for example, identifying property deeds, local archives or planning records and explaining what each might reveal. This gives the answer a clear, relevant foundation, but some ideas remain general rather than fully extended.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for reasons and research methods, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Additionally,” “Consequently” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the progression, and the examples are generally placed alongside the points they support. Some connections are less precise, however. “Consequently” suggests that the research methods result from the safety concerns, although the paragraph introduces methods for investigating the topic more broadly. The opening also lists several reasons and methods, but the body does not develop each one equally. Use more exact transitions and ensure that each paragraph’s main idea is clearly signposted; this would make the cohesion less formulaic and the progression more consistently controlled.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

There is an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “municipal records,” “historical relevance,” “safety or security concerns” and “previous tenants.” The writer also attempts less common expressions such as “bragging rights” and “scouring the internet,” showing some flexibility. At times, however, word choice or collocation is inaccurate or too informal for an academic essay: “invested in knowing” is awkward, “comb in online rental reviews” is unclear, and “hanging parchments” is not a natural description of displaying information. “Online documentations” is also an unsuitable form in this context. Choose more precise, natural phrases such as “interested in learning about,” “search online reviews” and “online documents.” These refinements would improve control without changing the clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concessive opening (“While for some people…”) and conditional structures (“whether there is now…”) that help express relationships between ideas. Most sentences are understandable, and grammatical errors rarely obstruct the message. Some errors remain in agreement and sentence construction. For example, “an increasing number of people is becoming” has a subject–verb agreement problem; “homes shared previously by famous people… hold” is awkwardly constructed; and “homes where burglaries have been reported before, or buildings that had flooding occurences” is not a complete sentence. Review agreement, relative clauses and sentence boundaries, and make sure each example is integrated into a complete sentence. More consistent accuracy across these structures would strengthen the response.

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