Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-20

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)

The question of wether owning a house is more important rather than renting the house remains a subject of debate. While both prespectives have their merit, I firmly believe that the increasing prefrence of homeonwership over renting is a positive situation.

The main underlying reason is that buying a house is a house is cost-effective in the long run. It removes the burden of paying high mortages or having bad relations with the land lord. In addition, homeownership is very important for some people, especially who want to raise a family. Owning a home is not conveyed solely as owning a property but it is a symbol of independence and security.

Neverthless, many argue that renting a house is better as it aligns with their situation. For example, not all cases are the same, many have finacial bugets, specific house prefrences and work responsibilities that limits them and prevents them from buying a house. Also, buying your own house requires time and patience as, finding a good construction company and a suitable design can be difficult.

While it is undeniable that buying a house is the safest option, it is important to recognise that main reason for the house. For example, some buyers seek a house for investment for the future while others want a house to grow a family and keep it for generations with no profitable intentions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the importance of homeownership and the writer's opinion on whether this is positive or negative. However, the response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of development. While the reasons for homeownership (cost-effectiveness, security) are mentioned, they are not fully extended or supported with sufficient detail. The conclusion is also somewhat abrupt and does not effectively summarize the main points or reinforce the position. To improve, you must expand on your arguments with specific examples or logical consequences to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic logical progression. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Neverthless', and 'For example'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the connection between ideas could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the benefits of homeownership and the counter-argument about renting is a bit abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'main reason for the house' in the final paragraph, which lacks a clear antecedent. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will help create a more cohesive text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but there are several spelling errors, such as 'wether' (whether), 'prespectives' (perspectives), 'prefrence' (preference), 'homeonwership' (homeownership), 'mortages' (mortgages), 'finacial' (financial), and 'bugets' (budgets). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'cost-effective' and 'independence', the range is somewhat limited. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accuracy in spelling and attempt to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and less common lexical items to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'buying a house is a house is cost-effective' (repetition/syntax error), 'especially who want to raise' (missing subject/relative pronoun), and 'responsibilities that limits them' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often repetitive. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining your use of relative clauses. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will significantly improve your score in this criterion.

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

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