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)
One section of society believes that buying a house rather than renting one is crucial for individuals, while another section of society opposes this point of view. I believes that owing a home is a positive situation and I will discuss my viewpoints in the upcoming paragraphs.
To commence with, benefits of owning a house. Purchasing a house is a one-time investment because to renting a house people have to pay rent weekly and monthly. Moreover, If a person owns a house he/she can save their money which people usually spend on paying rent to owners and they can utilize that money for other purposes and for future saving.
Apart from this, people can decorate and renovate the house according to their wishes and needs, but on renting a house such facilities are not provided to people. Additionally, people can enjoy their life freely in own house, while on rent house, owners come for inspection for every 2 to 3 months if anything is damaged they charge money from them and some owners do not allow pets in renting house. For example a survey was conducted in the USA which showed that people who have their own house live a better lifestyle than renters.
To conclude, there are so many restrictions to living in renting house and people just wasting their money by paying rent and saving nothing for the future. People who have their own house are living a better quality of life and also have some savings for their future incidents.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| 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: reasons for the importance of home ownership and the writer's opinion on whether this is positive or negative. However, the development is somewhat limited. While the reasons (financial savings and freedom to renovate) are relevant, they are presented in a repetitive manner. The argument lacks depth, particularly in the discussion of why this is a 'positive' situation, which relies on generalizations rather than nuanced analysis. The introduction is slightly inaccurate, as it suggests a debate exists about whether home ownership is 'crucial,' whereas the prompt asks why it is important. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or counter-arguments to demonstrate a more sophisticated understanding of the topic.
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 such as 'To commence with,' 'Moreover,' and 'Apart from this' to link your points. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'To commence with, benefits of owning a house,' which lacks a subject and verb. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear; for instance, the phrase 'on renting a house' is used repeatedly in a way that sounds unnatural. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally into the next would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'better lifestyle' and 'better quality of life,' which are somewhat vague. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'renting house' instead of 'rented accommodation' or 'a rented house.' The phrase 'future incidents' is also an unusual collocation in this context. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to finance, real estate, and personal autonomy, and focus on using words in their correct collocations.
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 the flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('I believes'), missing articles ('on renting a house'), and awkward phrasing ('for every 2 to 3 months'). The sentence 'Purchasing a house is a one-time investment because to renting a house people have to pay rent weekly and monthly' is grammatically confused. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic errors like article usage and verb forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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