Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-12

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)

In many countries people rent a house rather than owning a house. The reason behind this is that houses are very expensive and people can not afford them so they rent a house. Some people live in rented houses and invest the money needed to build a house in any business. It is a positive solution as people who can not afford to buy a house can live in rented houses.

Firstly, in todays every person can not buy a personal accommodation because prices are very high and they have to take loans from banks. So most of the people prefer to rent a house and this is a good solution as it provides shelter to people who are financially less stable. It is also a good solution because it saves a person from debt that a person would take to build his house.

Secondly, some people think that owning a house is not a good investment so they rent a house and start a business with their money. It is also good because when people will earn more money they would pay more tax which is good for government. When people rent flats they live in large apartment blocks which solves the problem of land scarcity in cities.

However, it is a good solution but it has some negative impacts. When more people want to live in rented houses the rents increase automatically. Further more, the people living in rented house do not take care of the building and furniture which cause loss of owner.

In conclusion, renting a house has more benefits rather then owning one. It provides shelter to people who can not afford a house and saves people from debt and loans. Moreover, it is good for the economy of the country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response gives a clear view that renting is beneficial and offers relevant reasons, including high purchase costs, avoiding debt, investing in a business, and making efficient use of urban land. However, it does not answer the prompt as set: the question asks why owning a home is important in some countries, whereas the essay mainly explains why renting can be preferable. The opening even says people rent rather than own, so the central issue is shifted. The positive/negative judgement is also not fully consistent: renting is called positive, but the discussion of rising rents and poor care of properties is not weighed against the benefits. To strengthen the response, explain why ownership matters to people, then give a sustained, supported judgement about that situation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two main paragraphs, a paragraph beginning “However,” and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the broad organisation. The main weakness is that progression is not always logical in relation to the question: the body paragraphs develop the advantages of renting rather than reasons people value ownership. The contrast paragraph also introduces disadvantages without clearly connecting them to the overall judgement. Some links are mechanical, and “It is also a good solution” is repeated. Build each paragraph around one clear point, use more precise references between sentences, and make the conclusion reflect the balance established in the body.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for communicating the main ideas, with relevant terms such as “financially less stable,” “debt,” “investment,” “rents,” and “land scarcity.” There are also attempts to discuss economic and housing issues beyond basic description. However, wording is often repetitive, especially “good solution,” “people,” and “house,” and some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, such as “personal accommodation” and “invest the money needed to build a house in any business.” Spelling and word-form issues, including “todays,” “Further more,” and “rather then,” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise housing-related collocations and vary repeated terms; for example, distinguish between home ownership, renting, property costs, and household finances.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mixture of simple sentences and some longer structures, including clauses with “because,” “when,” and “which.” Most ideas remain understandable, and the paragraph-level meaning is generally clear. However, errors occur in sentence construction and agreement, as in “the people living in rented house do not take care … which cause loss,” where the plural subject and verb do not match and the noun phrase is incomplete. Other examples include “in todays every person” and “when people will earn more money,” which show problems with phrasing and tense patterns. Articles and plurals are also inconsistent. Review subject–verb agreement, article use, and conditional/time clauses, then proofread each sentence for a complete and correctly linked structure.

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