Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Predictions Nov 2026 · 2026-11-04

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, more people are choosing to live alone rather than share a home.

Why is this becoming more common?

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The amount of people that prefer to live independently rather than sharing accomodation are increasing exponentially around the world. While there my be some reasons behind it, I believe it is definitely a negative development.

The major reason behind this trend is the freedom that comes with living alone. People with their own space can freely use it to work from home in silence when required, without any disturbence by other inhabitants. Moreover, it allows you to make any changes according to the needs and taste of the owner without taking into account the wishes of other residents. For instance,

However, this development may has a major disadvantage as well. Living alone also comes with the risk of emergencies that may require assistence from other people. These include medical emergencies like a stroke or a heart attack which can occur any time leaving one unable to call for help. In these situations, people living with you can help

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify a relevant reason for the trend—greater freedom and control over one’s living space—and state a clear view that it is negative. The example of being able to work quietly also supports this explanation. However, the response addresses the task only partially: the negative side is introduced through the risk of medical emergencies, but the point is unfinished, and there is no developed conclusion or further support. The prompt asks for reasons why solo living is becoming more common as well as an evaluation of its effects; your explanation focuses mainly on personal freedom, so the causes and your judgement need fuller development. The response is also 92 words below the required minimum, which limits how fully you can explain and support your ideas. Develop each main point with a consequence or specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening position, a paragraph explaining freedom, and a paragraph beginning to discuss a disadvantage. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “However” help signal the relationship between ideas. At this level, though, progression is incomplete: the first body paragraph ends with “For instance,” and the final paragraph stops after “people living with you can help,” leaving both examples and the argument unfinished. The opening also refers to “some reasons” without previewing them. To improve the overall flow, complete each paragraph’s point, use a clear topic sentence, and add a concluding paragraph that restates your position. Ensure transitions connect complete ideas rather than introducing material that is not supplied.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the topic, including “living independently,” “freedom,” “medical emergencies,” and “residents.” Phrases such as “work from home in silence” and “changes according to the needs and taste” show an attempt to express specific circumstances, although some wording is imprecise or unnatural. There are also spelling errors in “accomodation,” “disturbence,” and “assistence,” which detract from accuracy but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main ideas. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, “the number of people” is more natural than “the amount of people,” and “without being disturbed” is more idiomatic than “without any disturbance” in this sentence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including the contrast introduced by “While” and the relative clause in “emergencies that may require assistance.” Most of the intended meaning remains clear, but some grammatical errors are noticeable. In the opening, “The amount of people … are increasing” has a subject–verb agreement problem; “there my be” should be “there may be”; and “this development may has” should be “this development may have.” The sentence beginning “For instance,” is also left incomplete, and the final sentence lacks a completed main clause. Practise checking agreement and modal verb patterns, and make sure every sentence has a complete structure. Completing the unfinished examples would also let you demonstrate your range more effectively.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.