Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-30
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 often argued that in some countries having an own home instead of renting is a very essential for individuals because it reduces financial burden. This is a positive situation. This essay will discuss the view points in detail in the following paragraphs.
To begin with, having an own home can develop a good relations between family members. To explain, all the family member will live together and spend quality time with each other in their home because in an owned home people can live with the whole family. for example, if a person is living in a rented house, they are bound to live with only one or two members whereas, in an own home they can live with all family members. Another positive aspect is that, in an own home people have freedom. To elaborate, people can decorate or modify their home according to their choices and they do not need to take permission for that from their landlords. For instance, on any important festival a person can repaint their home without any second thought moreover they can also rebuilt their home according to their preferences.
Furthermore, a major aspect is that having an own home can give a person more future stability and safety. This is because, the future generation do not need to buy any house because they already have their parent's owned home. So, they do not need to move in a rented house. for example, according to a survey conducted by National Sample Survey Office, in 2025, in India, on ten thousand people, it was observed that 75% of people are still living in their parent's owned homes.
In conlusion, owning own home is a very important factor for people because it gives future stability and moreover it reduces financial burden as well. This trend has a positive situation on people's lives.
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 essay addresses both parts of the prompt: it explains why home ownership is important and provides a clear opinion that this is a positive situation. However, the development of ideas is somewhat simplistic. For instance, the argument that owning a home improves family relations is not fully convincing, as renting does not inherently prevent families from living together. The supporting examples, such as the claim about repainting or the specific statistic about India, are relevant but could be more deeply integrated into the argument to demonstrate a higher level of critical thinking. The position is clear throughout, but the depth of analysis remains at a basic level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition 'To explain' and 'To elaborate' are used in a formulaic way. Additionally, some referencing is slightly awkward, such as the phrase 'This trend has a positive situation on people's lives', which is not a natural collocation. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There is frequent repetition of basic terms like 'own home', 'people', and 'live'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'financial burden' and 'future stability', the range is limited. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'having an own home' (should be 'owning one's own home') and 'rebuilt their home' (should be 'rebuild'). To improve, the student should focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and collocations to express ideas more concisely and naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('an own home', 'a rented house') and verb forms ('they are bound to live', 'they can also rebuilt'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and missing commas after introductory phrases. While the student attempts complex structures, the control over them is not consistent enough for a higher band. The errors do not impede communication, but they are noticeable throughout the text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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