Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-17
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 the highly competitive era today, many countries owning a home rather than renting one is very essential for individuals. This trend has both positive and negative consequences. Overall, I believe this is a positive development, and this essay will explain.
There are several reasons why owning a home is very important to people in some countries. First, having a house gives people financial security, because they do not need to pay rent every month and the property may increase in value over time. Second, homeowners have more freedom to decorate or change their homes according to their preferences. For example, they can paint the walls, change the furniture, or make other improvements without asking a landlord for permission.
On the negative side, buying a house is usually very expensive and may require people to take a large loan. As a result, they may face financial pressure for many years. For example, young people may spend most of their income on mortgage payments instead of education, travel or other needs.
In conclusion, owning a home is important because it provides financial security and stability. Although buying a house can create financial pressure, I believe the benefits of home ownership are greater than the drawbacks.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student addresses all parts of the prompt by explaining why home ownership is important and discussing whether this trend is positive or negative, stating a clear position. However, the response contains only 204 words, failing to meet the minimum 250-word requirement. This under-length impacts the depth of idea development, leading to a natural penalty under Task Achievement. While the reasons given, such as financial security and freedom to decorate, are relevant, they remain somewhat concise. The counter-argument regarding financial pressure is also briefly touched upon but lacks full extension. Because the task is only partially addressed in terms of length and depth, this performance aligns with Band 5.5 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response is organized into clear paragraphs, starting with an introduction, moving to body paragraphs for reasons and drawbacks, and ending with a conclusion. The student uses basic cohesive devices such as 'First', 'Second', and 'On the negative side' to structure the ideas logically. Although referencing is mostly clear, the overall progression is somewhat formulaic and limited by the brevity of the essay. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct points, but the lack of sophisticated cohesive transitions keeps the organizational framework at a modest level. This performance corresponds to a solid Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for the task, utilizing terms such as 'financial security', 'property may increase in value', and 'mortgage payments'. There are some successful attempts to use less common vocabulary, though phrase choices occasionally reveal awkwardness, such as the opening sentence 'In the highly competitive era today, many countries owning a home...', which contains a grammatical and lexical mismatch. Spelling and word choice are generally accurate enough not to impede communication. Because the lexical range is sufficient yet limited and standard, it fits comfortably within the Band 6.0 criteria.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'because they do not need to pay rent every month' and 'although buying a house can create financial pressure'. There are some grammatical errors, most notably in the opening sentence where the structure fails to form a coherent clause ('many countries owning a home... is very essential'). However, the majority of the subsequent sentences are reasonably well-constructed and easy to follow, with punctuation used appropriately. The presence of occasional structural errors alongside correct complex forms justifies a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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