Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-28

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 6.0)

In some countries, people consider it important to own a house rather than renting one. There are many reasons for this way of thinking including social, psychological, and financial factors.

One of the main reason is that in some countries, owning a house is seen as a life goal. For example, in my country India, people are naturally expected to own a house once they have acquired a job and a family. There is sometimes a social pressure associated with the urgence to own a house. Also in many countries, owning a house is seen as a symbol of status and wealth and as a means to show off among friends and other people. Various psychological factors are also associated with it, which makes people feel inferior to others who own a house. Few people may also want to own a house just because they like the idea of owning it. However in some cases, the above factors also contribute to the decision made by people.

Another reason is that some people view owning a house as an investment in their life. This could also be a good reason to why people like to buy houses. Further, certain financial thought processes may also drive the urge to buy properly. Sometimes, people consider buying a house more profitable in the long than renting one. However this is only true when they are sure that they will live in the same place for quite long.

In my opinion, it is a positive situation as it makes people want to work hard to achieve their goal of buying a house which in itself is an investment. It can also be an extra source of income for people in case they rent it out. Most importantly, it can provide people with a feeling of security and satisfaction.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for home ownership and the writer's opinion on whether this is positive or negative. The ideas are relevant, covering social, psychological, and financial aspects. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the mention of 'psychological factors' and 'social pressure' is brief and could be better supported with more detailed examples or analysis. The position is clear throughout, but the argument could be strengthened by exploring the potential downsides of home ownership to provide a more balanced perspective, which would help in achieving a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into distinct paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the topic. The progression of ideas is generally clear. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One of the main reason', 'Also', 'However', and 'In my opinion'. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow. For example, the sentence 'However this is only true when they are sure that they will live in the same place for quite long' lacks a comma after 'However', and the connection between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'investment', 'financial thought processes', and 'social pressure'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'urgency to own a house' (the student used 'urgence') and 'buy properly' (likely a typo for 'property'). To reach a higher band, the student should incorporate more precise, academic collocations and avoid minor word-choice errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'One of the main reason is' should be 'One of the main reasons is', and 'in the long' should be 'in the long run'. Additionally, there are punctuation errors, such as missing commas after introductory phrases like 'However'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy would improve this score.

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

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