Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 many countries, people are becoming interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they are living in because most of the houses in any country are old enough to have history. It is a kind of fantasy in a person to know more and more about things, mostly with the things he have to interact daily. The main reason for this kind of fantasy is that our past is full of stories. And these stories are related to us with some old things like our houses.

For example, the house I live in was made about 200 years ago by the British people when they were ruling over the Indian Subcontinent, as I live in Pakistan which got Independence in 1947,and my house was made almost in near 1850's in the Britishers rule. So when we think about the past of our houses and buildings, it broadens our mind and it can also give us a kind of surprise like, Oh WOW! the house that I am living in was once the house of a king of this area, or maybe the house of a slave.

There are many ways to research about the history of our house. The first and the most easiest way is through the stories of ours elders. The stories of our elders mostly include the history of the area or the houses we are living in. We can also research by using AI models. If the area we are living in have old and palace kind of buildings, then there are greater chances that our houses have some great past.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you suggest curiosity about the past and personal connections as reasons, then mention elders’ stories and AI as research methods. The example of your house, which you believe dates from British rule, makes the topic personal and relevant. However, the reasons are not fully explained, and some claims—such as old houses being likely to have a “great past”—remain speculative. The research section is especially brief: it names methods but does not explain how to use them or assess their reliability. Develop each part with specific steps and examples, such as checking property records, archives, old maps, or speaking with local historians, and clarify how learning a building’s history benefits residents.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall sequence: it introduces reasons, gives a personal example, and then turns to research methods. Paragraph breaks help distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “For example” and “There are many ways” signal transitions. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes loose: the discussion moves from curiosity to stories and then to a surprising possible former occupant without clearly connecting these points. The final paragraph lists methods but does not develop them, and the essay ends abruptly. Some linking is repetitive or mechanical. Organise the response around the two task questions, use clearer links between each reason and its explanation, and finish with a brief concluding sentence that summarises the main points.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “history,” “past,” “elders,” and “buildings.” The personal example also gives the response some specific language. However, the range is limited and several choices are unnatural or imprecise, such as “a kind of fantasy” for curiosity, “the most easiest,” and “research about the history.” “Britishers rule” and “palace kind of buildings” also sound awkward and reduce precision. Repeated use of “house,” “history,” and “past” limits variety. Aim for more accurate collocations and topic-specific terms, such as “property records,” “historical archives,” and “local history,” while checking word forms and avoiding informal expressions such as “Oh WOW!”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses beginning with “because” and “when,” but control is inconsistent. Errors include “the things he have to interact daily,” where the subject–verb form and sentence construction are faulty, and “the area we are living in have,” where agreement is incorrect. There are also problems with articles and prepositions in “research about the history” and “in the Britishers rule,” as well as punctuation around the date and the quoted exclamation. These errors sometimes make the reader pause, although the main meaning is generally recoverable. Practise building accurate complex sentences, checking subject–verb agreement and verb forms, and proofreading punctuation. Prefer a few well-controlled structures to longer sentences that become difficult to manage.

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