Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-26

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)

The interest in finding out about the history of the house or building people live in is growing. One of the reasons for this growing interest is the increase in the fraudulent activities. Nowadays, people can easily search about the history of their houses or buildings using the national record government's keep of the houses or buildings.

One of the main reasons more people are becoming interested in exploring the history of their houses is the increase in frauds related to housing ownership. Creating fake deeds of houses to sell them is becoming increasingly common. People look for empty houses whose owners are not nearby to check on these houses and then, they create fake documents and con people. They pretend to be the owner or manager of the house or building and sell it to people. Sometimes the property is also under dispute and people sell it under wrong pretences. The people who buy these disputed property get involved in court cases and lose money. To make sure they are not being conned for their money, buyers these days tend to search about the history of their houses and buildings.

The most convenient way to research about the history is to look at public records. Government's keep records of all the houses people sell or buy so that everyone can look if there are any disputes or previous taxes related to the houses or building they live in or want to live in. Public records are also the most reliable way to search about someone's property. These records are also easily available on internet, which makes accessing these records more easy.

In conclusion, the increasing number of frauds made people more and more interested in finding out about the history of the house or building they live in and the public records provided by the government is the most convenient and reliable way to find out about the history of the houses and buildings people live in.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both questions: it gives a reason for the growing interest—fraud involving property ownership—and suggests checking public records. The explanation of fake deeds and disputed properties is relevant, but the answer presents this as the main reason without considering other plausible motivations, such as renovation, curiosity, or heritage. The research section is also narrow: it explains what public records may show, but does not develop other ways to investigate, such as consulting previous owners, local archives, libraries, or neighbours. Some claims, including that government records are available to everyone online, are stated broadly without qualification. To strengthen the response, develop a wider range of reasons and research methods with specific examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the reason and research method, and a conclusion. This makes the main line of argument understandable. However, progression is limited because the introduction already gives both the fraud explanation and public-record solution, and the conclusion repeats these points with little further synthesis. Cohesive phrases such as “One of the main reasons” and “To make sure” help connect ideas, but repeated references to “houses or buildings” and “records” make the writing feel repetitive. Some links between claims could be clearer—for example, explain more directly how checking a property's history helps prevent the specific fraud described. Use more varied referencing and develop each paragraph in a clearer sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the topic, and phrases such as “fake deeds,” “property ownership,” “disputed property,” and “public records” are relevant. However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, including “increase in the fraudulent activities,” “search about the history,” and “Government's keep records.” Repetition of “houses or buildings” and “history” also restricts flexibility. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the main ideas, but they make the response less precise and fluent. Aim to use more natural collocations and vary references to the property, while checking whether a phrase is idiomatic in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses both simple sentences and some longer structures, including clauses beginning “whose owners are not nearby” and “so that everyone can look.” The overall meaning is generally clear, but errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward. For example, “Government's keep records” has an incorrect apostrophe and subject form, while “these disputed property” has a number-agreement error. In “the public records provided by the government is,” the plural subject does not agree with the verb. There are also problems with articles and sentence construction, as in “the increase in the fraudulent activities.” Work on subject–verb agreement, singular and plural forms, and article use, then proofread longer sentences for accuracy.

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