Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21

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 many non develop countries owning a house is considered as a symbol of wealth, commons with low income live their life in an insecurity of not owning their own house, and sometimes if a person has the option to buy their own house but choose to live on rent due yo benefits of renting then owning, such people are sometime mistaken to be low class despite their well worthyness.

To my opinion, people of current time had made house a status symbol of wealth, in some part its true, because house is a neccassity owing a house lets you do whatever the way you like to live, decorate or modify your home according to your style heritage and needs. For example many renting sites does not allow tenants to have pets or animals at their place, a more concerning point is the landlord can increase rent anytime he liked or may ask you to leave at any time,

Renting is cheaper and owning your own place is expensive for example, if a house with 2 beds cost around $200,000, a similar house could be rented for $2000, if someone mortgage their home, it requires an initial upfront deposit and monthly payment could reach $3000, keeping in mind the uncertanity of interest rates directly effects the monthly mortgage payments, as seen in the past the interest rates were never in the favour of the consumers thus chances are that payment increase year by year.

In my personal suggestion owing and renting has their own pros and cons, for someone who like to stay in one city can choose to own the house and for someone working freelance or the nature of the work require them to transition every here and there should rent a house

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the importance of home ownership and an opinion on whether this is positive or negative. However, the development is uneven. The reasons provided (status symbol, freedom to modify, security) are relevant, but the discussion on whether it is a positive or negative situation is underdeveloped and lacks a clear, consistent stance. The conclusion is somewhat abrupt and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your personal opinion is explicitly stated and supported throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow between and within them is often disjointed. There is a lack of cohesive devices to link ideas; for instance, the transition between the discussion of status symbols and the financial comparison of renting versus owning is abrupt. Some sentences are run-on, such as the first paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of thought. Using a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'on the other hand') would help improve the overall structure and readability of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and non-standard word choices, such as 'non develop countries', 'well worthyness', and 'in the favour of the consumers'. Spelling errors are also present, such as 'neccassity'. While the meaning is generally clear, the limited range of vocabulary and the reliance on basic descriptors prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on collocations and more academic terminology would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede flow. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'many renting sites does not allow'), incorrect preposition usage, and punctuation errors, particularly the lack of full stops to separate distinct ideas. The sentence structure is often repetitive, and the misuse of articles and verb tenses is noticeable throughout. To improve, focus on sentence boundary control and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, such as ensuring subjects and verbs agree and using correct tense forms.

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

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