Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-11

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)

In some countries people prefer owning a home rather than renting one is important. I think this is a positive situation as it gives people a sense of belonging and stability which people prefer.

Firstly, people prefer to own a home since it gives people stability and removes the worry of constantly moving from place to place. Moreover, people get a sense of belonging to their home which makes them feel more secure and have a peace of mind. It gives people more freedom of choice in terms of decorating their home as they wish without worrying about their landlord who would have given a fine. People also prefer owning a house because it gives them space from the stresses of the outside world.

Secondly, people who own homes take in future considerations aswell such as having a big family. People prefer homes as it can accomodate space for a big family and gives each family their own personal space in the home. People also prefer living in homes with family as it brings everyone more close to eachother. with the freedom of space it allows people the comfortability of hosting events in their home for friends and family. Moreover, the property value also increases year by year which makes people have a sense of peace knowing that they are secure.

In conclusion, people owning a home rather than renting one is a positive situation. since it gives people a sense of belonging and gives them more comfortability to move in with a big family. Moreover, it gives freedom of space to people and a added benefit is the fact that the property value increases year by year.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: explaining why home ownership is important and providing an opinion on whether it is positive or negative. The ideas regarding stability, belonging, and financial investment are relevant. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly the focus on 'space' and 'comfortability' in the second paragraph. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on the societal or economic implications of home ownership more deeply rather than repeating similar points. The position is clear throughout, but the supporting arguments could be more varied and sophisticated to fully meet the Band 7 criteria.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' to link your points. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'People also prefer owning a house because it gives them space from the stresses of the outside world', which lacks a strong connection to the previous sentence. Additionally, some sentences are slightly disjointed, such as 'with the freedom of space it allows people the comfortability of hosting events'. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'people', 'home', and 'prefer' repeatedly. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'comfortability' (which is less standard than 'comfort') and 'take in future considerations'. While the meaning is always clear, the lack of variety in your word choice and the occasional misuse of terms prevent the essay from reaching a higher score. Incorporating more academic vocabulary related to property and social stability would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'landlord who would have given a fine' is awkward and grammatically incorrect in this context. There are also issues with punctuation and sentence fragments, such as 'since it gives people a sense of belonging...' starting a new sentence after a period. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately.

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

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