Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-12

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 several countries, purchasing a house instead of renting is more significant for individuals. This has become a heated topic in this contemporary society. Why individuals are not renting and preferring to own one the reason for this in addition the advantages and disadvantages will be deliberated in this essay. In conclusion I will assert my perspective.

In countries such as United states of America, Australia and other European countries individuals are no longer living on rented apartments or flat. Fortunately they are living on mortgage houses with low interest in addition flexible time period of loan repayment. They are paying almost same amount of rent however with mortgage they are owning a house for instance a person had paid rent for almost fifty years but still he does not own a house on the other hand an individual is on mortgage within twelve to fifteen years he is an owner of a house.

This is the major benefit because of this individuals are considering to own onw rather then renting.

In contrast, there are a few disadvantages of this if an individual is not able to pay

his mortgage for several reasons such as he lost his job or he had been in an accident the company is not going to wait and you will lose the custody of your house in addition all your precious amount will be wasted. This is only the major flaw.

In my perspective this is a privilege but an individual should be aware of his financial condition otherwise there are numerous detrimental consequences of this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: why home ownership is important and whether it is positive or negative. However, the development is somewhat superficial. The explanation for why people prefer ownership focuses almost exclusively on financial comparisons between rent and mortgages, lacking depth regarding social or psychological factors. The discussion of advantages and disadvantages is present, but the 'positive or negative' aspect is only briefly touched upon in the final paragraph. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the broader implications of home ownership, such as stability, community investment, or the burden of debt, rather than focusing solely on the mechanics of mortgage payments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is hindered by repetitive phrasing and a lack of sophisticated cohesive devices. While you use some linking words like 'In contrast' and 'In conclusion', the transitions between sentences are often mechanical. For example, the second paragraph relies heavily on simple sentence structures that do not flow naturally. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the sudden shift to discussing 'the company' in the third paragraph without prior introduction. Improving the use of referencing and varying your cohesive devices would significantly enhance the flow of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'important', 'advantage', and 'disadvantage'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'living on mortgage houses' and 'custody of your house', which are not standard English usage. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to finance and housing, such as 'equity', 'financial stability', 'long-term investment', or 'debt burden'. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise academic terms will help you convey your ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'individuals are no longer living on rented apartments'), incorrect prepositions, and punctuation errors. The sentence 'Why individuals are not renting and preferring to own one the reason for this in addition the advantages and disadvantages will be deliberated in this essay' is grammatically fragmented and confusing. You should focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly to avoid run-on or fragmented ideas.

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

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