Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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 recent years it has been observed that people seeking out the history of the architecture they live in has become vastly common. This could be attributed to the fact that a architecture's history speaks a lot about its social, economic and sometimes environmental worth.

From my perspective, the history of a place decides how it is viewed by others that is it decides the social stature of the place. That is why people try to find if their home somehow might be linked to a historical event or has some interesting history associated with it. That way they can keep it as an asset or sell it at a reasonable price to the highest bidder. Sometimes the reason is not just social or economic it is also environmental such as a building built on the land which was previously exposed to industrial waste could have high levels of toxicity in the environment and compromise the health of residents.

In this era of modern technology it is much easier to know the history of an architecture than it used to be a decade ago. Internet and AI harbor a lot of information and could easily be used to access information regarding the history and worth of an architecture. Talking to the locals and checking in with the local department can also help a lot to know about the social and economic worth of the place.

In conclusion, it makes much sense as to why people look into the history of the architecture they live in since they might be spending the rest of their lives there.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions and give relevant reasons, including social status, possible financial value, and environmental safety. The example of land previously exposed to industrial waste adds a useful practical concern. However, the reasons are not developed evenly: the social and economic points overlap, and the claim that a building’s history determines how others view it needs clearer explanation or an example. The research section is also comparatively brief. You mention the internet, AI, local residents, and local departments, but do not explain what records or sources people might consult. A more developed explanation of each research method and a clearer distinction between the reasons would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph explaining reasons, a paragraph on research methods, and a conclusion. The progression from reasons to ways of investigating the past is easy to follow, and phrases such as “That is why” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “That is why” introduces a claim about historical links without fully showing how this follows from social status, while “That way” then shifts to financial value. The conclusion repeats the general point rather than drawing together the main reasons and methods. Use clearer links between each idea and develop the paragraph transitions more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “social, economic and… environmental worth,” “historical event,” “asset,” and “toxicity.” These choices help communicate several relevant angles. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “history of the architecture,” “vastly common,” and “a architecture’s history.” “Harbor a lot of information” is also an awkward way to describe online sources, and “social stature of the place” is imprecise in context. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your main points, but they limit precision and naturalness. Prefer familiar, accurate phrases such as “history of the building” and “become increasingly common,” and check collocations when using less common vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of sentence forms, including complex structures with “since,” “which,” and “that,” and most ideas remain understandable. Some grammatical errors, however, affect accuracy. In the opening, “people seeking out… has become” has a subject–verb agreement problem; “a architecture’s” has an article error; and “how it is viewed by others that is it decides” creates a faulty sentence connection. The sentence beginning “Sometimes the reason is not just social or economic” also needs clearer punctuation and structure to separate its ideas. Aim to make each sentence’s main clause clear, check singular and plural agreement, and use punctuation to avoid run-on constructions. More consistently controlled complex sentences would strengthen the response.

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