Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-09

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some countries owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people. Why might this be the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Accommodation is very important to people because it's one of our basic needs, although some prefer owning rather than renting due to personal and valid reasons. We always choose what we think is best for us and for our family.

Some countries have different percentage of people who prefer renting and owning, this is because of various reasons: Firstly, citizens have funds to pay for the house while others work hard to make both ends meet; Secondly, age and permanent work are two factors too, being old and having a life time job will make residents stay to a specific location and buy a home since they can now settle, in contrast younger generation like to explore about work or life in general so they move from one city to another and prefer to rent; Lastly, a sense of success or achievement, others point of view in success means having their own home. This kind of situation may be positive or negative depending on the benefits we gain.

As for me, I prefer owning a home but I can't for now as I am currently residing abroad and couldn't afford to buy one in a foreign country. Maybe in the future buying will be my last choice.

In conlusion, humans have their own differences and choices owning a home or renting that will suffice their needs and wants. Either way it can be considered positive or negative based on the drawbacks and benefits, or which will outweight the other one.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several plausible reasons for home ownership, including having sufficient funds, wanting to settle in one place, and viewing a home as a sign of achievement. However, the task asks you to explain why ownership is important in some countries and to decide whether this is positive or negative. Your discussion of reasons is brief, and the final judgement remains conditional: “it can be considered positive or negative” depending on benefits and drawbacks. The personal example about living abroad explains your own circumstances but does not establish a clear view of the situation described. State directly whether you consider this emphasis positive or negative, then support that position with developed reasons and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable introduction, a main paragraph about possible reasons, a personal paragraph, and a conclusion. Sequencing within the main paragraph is also signposted with “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Lastly.” However, the overall progression is limited: the personal paragraph shifts to your own housing plans without clearly connecting them to the question, and the conclusion repeats that the situation may be positive or negative rather than drawing the discussion together. Some linking is mechanical, particularly the repeated list markers and the long sentence joining several different reasons. Organise the body around distinct points, explain each in a separate, focused section, and use transitions that show how the ideas relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “permanent work,” “settle,” “sense of success,” and “drawbacks and benefits,” so the topic is generally clear. There are also noticeable problems with word choice, collocation, and spelling that make some phrases awkward, such as “different percentage of people,” “explore about work,” and “my last choice.” “Conlusion” and “outweight” are spelling errors. Some wording is also vague, for example “this kind of situation” and “which will outweigh the other one,” where the reader has to infer what is being compared. Aim for more precise housing-related expressions and check spelling; for example, use “proportion of people,” “explore career opportunities,” and “outweigh.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast between older and younger residents and a concluding sentence with alternatives. However, several longer sentences are not controlled accurately. For example, “Some countries have different percentage of people who prefer renting and owning, this is because…” joins two independent clauses with a comma, while “being old and having a life time job will make residents stay to a specific location” has an awkward and unclear grammatical construction. There are also issues with articles and agreement, as in “a sense of success or achievement, others point of view.” Use shorter sentences when presenting separate reasons, and check clause boundaries, article use, and subject–verb agreement. This would make your meaning easier to follow.

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