Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-03
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 highly controversial in different countries that, owning a home is better than renting a property. It is because owning a property is a sign of security but, on the other hand renting a house is more flexible people can change it when ever they need.
Some people believe that, renting a house is more flexible, along with that it neither require any maintenance nor structural repairing of appliances. However, renting a house may allow affordability for some individuals; for example, if an individual got a job to another city or country it is easy for him to just pack his bags and move out. Additionally, while living on rental property people doesn't have to pay for if his fridge or microwave breakdown which is more convenient for a tenant. Living in a rental apartment have numerous advantages.
Some people argue that, owning a home may provide stability along with that, it gives opportunity of decorating the house by themselves. Furthermore, holding a property requires maintenance burden such as, repair, structural fixing. Owing to this ownership of house can have various benefits; for example, individuals doesn't have to be worry about increasing rents along with the taunting shifting and moving to another house. Besides that home owners can be also benefit by renting one portion of a house, this will facilitate them not living alone as well as earning some income.
In conclusion, while renting a property can provide affordability and convenience of moving which can be helpful in exploring other neighbour hood, ownership of a house can also be taken as a positive side likely, not paying rent, life long stability, may be some times a side income as well.
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 an opinion on whether this is positive or negative. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While you provide reasons for both renting and owning, your personal stance is not clearly articulated until the very end, and even then, it remains somewhat neutral rather than taking a firm position. To reach a higher band, ensure your opinion is clear in the introduction and consistently supported throughout the body paragraphs. The ideas are relevant, but some points, such as the 'taunting shifting', could be explained with more depth to fully satisfy the requirements of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'along with that it neither require'. Additionally, some sentences lack smooth transitions, making the flow feel a bit disjointed. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the relationship between sentences is more natural. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be tightened to improve the overall progression of your argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'flexibility', 'stability', and 'maintenance'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations, such as 'structural repairing of appliances' (instead of 'repairs to appliances') and 'taunting shifting'. There are also some minor errors in word form, such as 'neighbour hood' (should be one word) and 'does not have to be worry' (should be 'does not have to worry'). To achieve a higher score, try to use more precise academic collocations and ensure that your word forms are consistently accurate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('people doesn't have to pay', 'living in a rental apartment have'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the unnecessary use of commas after 'believe that' or 'argue that'. While these errors do not completely prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of complex sentence structures will help improve your accuracy and range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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