Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-07
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)
There is a debate among people about way of living. Some individuals argue that living in your personal house is better than living in a rental house. According to my view, the private apartment has few years of investment at the beginning of the period, but leasing apartment has life-long investment that makes real estate to merits.
On the one hand, the major positive aspect of commercial real estate is a more convenient and has easy access for amenities, such as parking, open terrace, and garden. In addition, freehold reduces migration every year because people have been free from rental agreements. For example, residents who lived in occupancy have to move as per landlords' command, and they have to obey the rules every time. Therefore, youth who have their own household can give a story of their house on rent, so that they manage to create side income.
On the other hand, even though property ownership has a positive side as compared to renting property, it takes life-long income to build a home. Moreover, leasing gives freedom from maintenance responsibilities and property taxes. For instance, renters do not pay for major maintenance or broken appliances. Consequently, moving into the rental household individuals need to pay monthly rent and an advance deposit.
In conclusion, although buying your own house is very expensive, living as a paying guest will not save you money. I strongly believe purchasing a house has a more positive trend than living in a rented house. So it gives more freedom.
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 of ideas is inconsistent. The explanation of why ownership is important is somewhat unclear, particularly the opening paragraph which struggles to articulate the financial logic. While the second paragraph provides relevant points about amenities and stability, the third paragraph regarding the benefits of renting is slightly contradictory to the overall stance. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack the depth required for a higher band score, as some points are repetitive or lack logical flow.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression between sentences is often weak. For example, the transition in the first paragraph is confusing, and the link between 'commercial real estate' and the benefits of home ownership is inaccurate. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand' and 'In addition', but they are sometimes used mechanically or inappropriately. Referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult to track the argument's development. Improved use of linking words and clearer topic sentences would significantly enhance the flow of the essay.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several instances of awkward word choices or incorrect collocations, such as 'personal house' instead of 'home ownership', 'leasing apartment' instead of 'renting', and 'give a story of their house' which is unclear. The range of vocabulary is limited, and the student relies on basic terms. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to real estate and finance to convey their ideas more effectively and naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include incorrect article usage ('the private apartment', 'the rental house'), subject-verb agreement errors, and awkward phrasing ('leasing gives freedom from maintenance responsibilities'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction often feels unnatural. While the meaning is usually discernible, the high frequency of errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence structure and proofreading for common grammatical slips would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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