Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-19

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)

It is undeniable that, with the serious problem of inflation, the price of a flat is not very affordable for year in, year out. However, there is still a bunch of people who prefer to own one instead of renting in some countries. I, personally, believe that it is essential to have one according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This essay will outline not only reason but also the negative effect of this notion which will outline in forthcoming fragment with logical conclusion.

To commence with, first and foremost, it is a serious problem when an elder person does not have his own accommodation since most landlords are not willing to lend to someone who is going to die. Secondly, although the cost of a dwelling is higher and higher, it is still worth investing in it compared to some unsteady stocks. For example, in Taiwan, the average price now is nearly five times as much as the one in ten years which causes a trend of investing houses. In this case, more and more people believe spending a bunch of money on a house can bring many benefits to them.

Moreover, there are so many merits to having own residence. The first reason is freedom the fact that individuals can do whatever they want to do in their own house. It is annoying that some landlords would set up unreasonable regulations for their tenants. In addition to the first reason, owners can freely customize the exterior and interior of their houses such as changing the front yard and painting the wall as they want.

To conclude, although it seems not a very reasonable expenditure in the short term, I think buying a house has to be considered a long-term investment. The merits of it might give people more than they thought previously.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for home ownership and an opinion on whether this is positive or negative. However, the development is uneven. The reasons provided—such as the difficulty for the elderly to rent and the investment potential—are relevant but lack depth. The discussion on whether this is positive or negative is somewhat superficial, as the essay focuses more on the 'merits' of ownership rather than critically evaluating the societal implications. The introduction is slightly confusing, mentioning a 'negative effect' that is not clearly explored in the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, you should ensure each point is fully extended with clear logical links to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices like 'To commence with', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover' to signal transitions. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'In addition to the first reason' when the previous paragraph already introduced a new point. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the introduction where you mention a 'forthcoming fragment' which is not standard academic terminology. The overall structure is functional, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. You rely on informal or imprecise phrasing, such as 'a bunch of people', 'higher and higher', and 'spending a bunch of money'. While you attempt some topic-specific vocabulary like 'expenditure' and 'residence', the overall range is limited. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'the price of a flat is not very affordable for year in, year out'. Expanding your range to include more academic collocations would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors. For instance, 'the price of a flat is not very affordable for year in, year out' is syntactically awkward. There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'the one in ten years' instead of 'the one ten years ago'. While these errors rarely impede communication, they are persistent enough to prevent a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and more accurate use of complex sentence connectors will help.

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.