Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-10
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 several countries people believe owning their own house is crucial and is more beneficial rather than renting one.
People prefer full ownership of their house as this enables them to become more financially stable. Relieving the stress of monthly payments helps a person feel psychologically free and clears the mind of unnecessary thoughts. Furthermore, the thought of spending rent money in another activity or investment is extremely attracting as this will also allow them to save money for their future more easily. A person giving rent is believed to be living a repetitive life as they are practicing the same routine their entire life to make ends meet, however, advancing and buying a home breaks this cycle and automatically shifts the persons line of thought and motivates them to be more financially efficient.
In my opinion, taking this initiative greatly helps the individual in doing something beneficial for themselves. Having made this investment, they are opening doors for their future because whatever they earn after the purchase is going to be used in achieving greater milestones rather than being used up as rent money. For example, a person earning to just give their homes rent is not getting enough to save for their future ambitions, but if they buy a house they will be earning to accomplish certain goals in life.
In conclusion, house ownership is a positive situation because of the financial stability and extra money it brings in for an individual to conquer dreams alongside having a lavish living.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the importance of home ownership and the writer's opinion on whether this is positive or negative. The ideas are relevant, focusing on financial stability and psychological well-being. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second and third paragraphs, where the focus remains exclusively on financial aspects. To reach a higher band, the response could explore broader social or cultural factors for why ownership is valued, or provide more nuanced arguments regarding the potential negative aspects of home ownership, such as lack of mobility or the burden of maintenance costs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'In my opinion', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the progression of ideas within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the idea of 'psychological freedom' and 'rent money' in the second paragraph feels slightly abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'a person' or 'they'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'financial stability' and 'achieving greater milestones'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'extremely attracting' (should be 'attractive') and 'giving rent' (should be 'paying rent'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To improve, the writer should focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing to demonstrate a more flexible control of language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'a person earning to just give their homes rent' is awkward and grammatically incorrect. There are also minor punctuation and article usage issues, such as 'the persons line of thought' (missing apostrophe). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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