Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Buying a house is one of the crucial things we need to do in our lives. It sits right next to graduating, finding a job and making family. Houses or apartments can either be bought or rented, which depends on working class's status. But that is what most the of people say. On the contrary, it depends on other aspects like paying taxes, HOA and growth of the cities. Most of the people actually prefer owning a house rather than renting one. There are many causes of that, but I will tell the ones that are pretty specific and might be the case for everyone who wants to own a house.

It is in human psychology that people prefer to own something permamently rather than borrowing it. For example, you feel jeaulous when you see someone having a thing you dream getting of, so you may ask them to borrow this thing. But it doesn't give a sense of pleasure that you would feel if it was yours. Just like that, people want their own household, not someones.

In first world countries like Germany, USA and Japan owning a house can become a nightmare because of taxes and other funds like electricity bills, water bills and etc. Some countries like Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan have minimal tax requirements, and bills are not that high in contrast of first world countries. So not owning your own household when you are in your middle age can be quite embarassing.

I don't think that it is a negative situaton, because owning something permamently is better than owning something for a period of time. Considering requirements of some landlords, it can be considered positive to own your own house.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you suggest that people value the sense of permanence and personal ownership, and you state that owning a home is positive. These are relevant starting points, but the reasons are only partly explained. The example about borrowing an object does not fully show why home ownership matters specifically, and the comparison between taxes in “first world countries” and Central Asian countries is asserted rather than supported. Your position is also brief: the conclusion repeats that permanent ownership is better without weighing its benefits against costs such as taxes or maintenance. Develop two clear reasons with specific explanation, and make the positive judgement more explicit and consistent throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable paragraph structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The ideas generally follow the order of the prompt, and phrases such as “For example” and “Just like that” attempt to connect explanation to illustration. However, the overall progression is not always clear. The opening moves from life milestones to employment status, taxes and city growth before reaching the main reasons, while “But that is what most the of people say” is difficult to connect to the preceding point. Some links are mechanical or unclear, and the final paragraph introduces landlord requirements without explaining them. Use a focused thesis and make each paragraph develop one reason through a clear explanation and relevant example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “renting,” “tax requirements,” “landlords” and “electricity bills,” and you attempt less common expressions such as “sense of pleasure.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural or obscure meaning. For example, “making family,” “working class’s status,” “owning something permanently” and “someones” do not express the intended ideas naturally. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “permamently,” “jeaulous,” “embarassing” and “situaton.” Aim for precise housing-related language and check spelling carefully. Replacing vague phrases with terms such as “financial security,” “housing costs” and “long-term stability” would make the argument clearer and more appropriate to the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional construction (“when you see someone having a thing you dream getting of”) and a contrast introduced by “because.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but control is uneven, and several sentence patterns are faulty. For instance, “a thing you dream getting of” has an incorrect structure, while “which depends on working class’s status” has an unclear reference and missing article. The opening also contains awkward sentence construction, and “not someones” lacks a clear grammatical form. These problems make parts of the response difficult to follow. Practise accurate relative clauses, possessives and verb patterns, and favour clear sentence structures before attempting more elaborate ones.

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.