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 some countries, more and more people are quite keen to understand the history of the house or building they live in. In my opinion, it's a vital factor that everyone should focus on as it allows the new tenants or owners to have a clear idea about the property.

One primary reason of this is that it provides people with a transparent idea about the crucial details about the house or building they live in. There are certain factors that plays a singificant role in increasing or decreasing the financial value of the houses or building. Doing the due delligence can help the people living in those houses or building to learn about the tenants who have been there, the living experience they had while living there and more. Collecting the basic information like neighborhood or culture of society helps people in making well-informed decision.

Another significant reason why people are keen to understand the history of their houses is to make sure that their family is living in a secured environment. For example, if upon investigation it is reavealed that house or building was involved in paranomal activities or illegal activities in past years, this leads people with an insecurity. People can also discover new things like the changed architectural structure of their house and which allows them to explore new ideas for renovation.

In conclusion, people can research about the history of the houses by contacting the previous owner or current owner. Moreover, they can learn about the history by asking questions from the neighborhood who have been living there before them. Due delligence checks can really help people to learn and understand the history of the property they are living in or about to buy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: you suggest reasons such as learning about a property’s value and ensuring a secure environment, then mention contacting owners and asking neighbours. These ideas are relevant, and the examples of past illegal activity and architectural changes help illustrate them. However, the reasons are not always clearly explained: the link between previous tenants’ experiences and a building’s history is vague, while paranormal activity is introduced without showing why it is a common concern. The research methods appear only in the conclusion and would benefit from fuller development, such as consulting local archives, property records, or historical maps. The response therefore covers the task, but some parts are less fully developed than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the paragraphs broadly group reasons together. However, progression is uneven: the second body paragraph combines safety concerns with renovation and architectural history, which are distinct ideas, while the research methods are held back until the conclusion rather than developed in a body paragraph. Linking phrases such as “One primary reason,” “Another significant reason,” and “In conclusion” make the organisation visible, but the connections between individual points are sometimes unclear. For example, the move from previous tenants’ experiences to neighbourhood culture needs a clearer explanation. Organise each paragraph around one main point and use references and transitions to show how supporting details relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “financial value,” “architectural structure,” “renovation,” and “well-informed decision.” These choices show an attempt to discuss property history beyond basic terms. However, several inaccurate or unnatural expressions weaken precision, such as “transparent idea,” “due delligence,” “leads people with an insecurity,” and “research about the history.” There are also spelling errors in “singificant,” “reavealed,” and “paranomal,” which reduce control of written vocabulary. Aim for natural collocations such as “clear understanding,” “due diligence,” “make people feel insecure,” and “research the history.” More accurate word forms and spelling would make your ideas easier to follow and demonstrate more consistent control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “if upon investigation it is revealed…” and a relative clause in “who have been living there before them.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “factors that plays” has subject–verb disagreement, and “helps people in making well-informed decision” needs a plural or determiner. There are also problems with articles and sentence construction in “if house or building was involved,” and the final sentence is awkwardly structured. Work on agreement, articles, and complete, clearly connected clauses. Greater accuracy in these areas, alongside your attempts at complex sentences, would make the response more controlled.

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