Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-24

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)

Every country has its own particular customs and values, with which their government operates independently. For many foreign countries like Australia for instance, people highly prefer owning their own home rather than buying and renting a house they have to pay for every month. The reason behind this mindset holds a wide range of individualism, where individuals can make changes to their own home according to their particular requirements and desires, without a any government or public involvement. The rented houses are strictly prohibited to be redesigned or reconstructed without an appropriate lawful approach. The government penaltises those who dares to change the household features including its infrastructure inside or out. Thus, making it quite hard for people to make typical adjustments while holding back their needs for changes. Although the people can ask for permission to do, but a self-decisive act regarding the house is a concerning factor and for these particular circumstances, most people strive to have their own homeplace. Another most important reason is the sense of financial security and property. With own home, a person feels financial secure and does not depend on others decisions to living standards. Here comes the feeling of security that the individual no longer need to be afraid of getting a notice to leave the house by landlords. Therefore, the financial security and the feeling of having a property is a long-term investment everyone must try to invest in.

The privacy to modify the house according to one's need is also exploited when the owner of the house denies to its permission. This establishes a concept of owning one's own home with self-centred decisions and also it becomes an ultimate asset to an indivudual for a long-term advantage.

I personally believe this is an extremely positive approach which gives the idea of self-sufficiency and confidence to a person who does not need to ask or adjust into a house where renovation can not be done without permission from the legislation or the owner of the house.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task, examining why home ownership is important and offering a clear opinion on whether this is a positive or negative situation. The main ideas regarding autonomy, customisation, and financial security are relevant and extended. For instance, the student points out that renting often restricts tenants from making alterations, which builds a strong case for why ownership is desired. However, the development tends to be somewhat repetitive, particularly in the second paragraph where the discussion on privacy and asset-building mirrors points already made about financial security. Furthermore, generalisations about government laws penalising interior changes in rented homes are slightly overstated. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it firmly in the Band 6 territory.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates an overall coherent arrangement, but paragraphing issues heavily impact this criterion. The student writes one massive body paragraph that spans the entire middle section of the essay, making it difficult to follow the progression of different sub-points. Cohesive devices are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen with phrases like "Here comes the feeling of security" and "Therefore, the financial security and the feeling of having a property...", which disrupt the natural flow of ideas. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as in the concluding sentence of the first body paragraph. While there is a clear overarching stance, the lack of appropriate paragraph breaks and awkward transitions keep the score at a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary suitable for the task, incorporating terms such as "individualism," "infrastructure," "financial security," and "self-sufficiency." However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices throughout the text. Examples include "penaltises" (spelling error), "homeplace" (unnatural collocation), "dears to change" (grammatical word form error), and "denies to its permission" (awkward phrasing). While the vocabulary used is adequate to convey the core message, these recurring slips and limitations in precise collocation prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional-like structures ("where individuals can make changes...", "With own home, a person feels..."). However, the text contains frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing that occasionally impede communication. Notable errors include missing articles ("without a any government"), incorrect prepositions ("denies to its permission"), subject-verb agreement issues ("who dares" / "most people strive"), and missing components in dependent clauses ("Although the people can ask for permission to do, but..."). Because errors are frequent and recurrent across various sentence structures, the grammar aligns with Band 5.

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