Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-18
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 5.0)
In recent years, the issue of owning a home has attracted considerable public and academic attention. While some people contend that owning a home has a positive impact on people, others maintain that owning a home can affect them negatively. This essay will examine both perspectives before presenting my own view
On the one hand, critics of renting a home frequently point out a number of significant underlying causes. A major reason for this is that it can save monthly rental payment, resulting in saving money as well as more growth. For example, recent research has shown that people who have their own home, they tend to be more successful. Furthermore, individuals can feel more satisfaction and happiness in their own house, which makes this approach less sustainable in the long run.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response suffers from a severe under-length penalty, as it contains only 132 words compared to the required 250-word minimum. Because the text stops abruptly after just two short paragraphs, the second part of the prompt regarding whether this is a positive or negative situation is completely unaddressed. While the writer attempts to introduce reasons why owning a home is important, such as saving on rental payments, the ideas are severely underdeveloped and cut off mid-thought, resulting in a low band score under Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay displays basic organizational attempts, utilizing a standard introduction with transition markers like 'On the one hand'. However, due to the extreme brevity of the text, logical progression is stunted, and the essay breaks off before main arguments can be fully articulated. Paragraphing is initiated properly, but the second body paragraph contains disjointed transitions and logical contradictions, such as linking personal satisfaction to an approach being 'less sustainable'. Cohesive devices are used mechanically and fail to successfully guide the reader through a complete line of reasoning.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the limited text produced, successfully employing phrases such as 'considerable public and academic attention' and 'underlying causes'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation issues, such as writing 'saving monthly rental payment, resulting in saving money as well as more growth' and referring to homeownership as an 'approach'. While there are attempts at less common lexical items, repetition and minor inaccuracies prevent the text from achieving a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The text contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as introductory dependent clauses ('While some people contend that...'). However, grammatical accuracy is compromised by notable errors, most prominently a relative clause structural fault in the sentence 'people who have their own home, they tend to be more successful', which includes an unnecessary pronoun. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the frequency of structural awkwardness keeps the grammatical performance restricted to a modest band level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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