Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-28
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 some countries, people prefer owning a home rather than renting one. This can be explained through both social and financial sectors. Though buying a house will provide a financial stability in long run, but may cause various problems to people.
One of the most important reason for people to own a house is financial security. This is because it is considered as an investment and can be used to solve the financial crisis when need. The price may increase with the time and can be a good source of income. In addition to this, the houseowner doesn't have to worry about the increasing rent that creates so many problems. Another reason is social and cultural expectations. In some of the societies, people often believe that owning a house is kind of achievement and success. Also, some people find it to be an financial stability and are respected.
Furthermore, there are various advantages. When you buy a house, you can make changes according to your preferences which is not possible in rented house. It provides people with sense of belonging creating peace and harmony.
However, planning to much on house can be expensive and time-consuming. This can result in financial strees, anxiety and depression.
In conclusion, people may own a house because it provides social stability and depression. While buying a house might be someone's dream but it may cause several problems like increase in mortgages. I totally agree with this statement because owning a house is good for everyone in future.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, exploring reasons why homeownership is important and giving an opinion on whether this is a positive or negative situation. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For example, the writer mentions social expectations and financial stability in the second paragraph, but the conclusion introduces bizarre claims, stating that owning a house provides 'depression' and abruptly claims agreement with a statement that was never actually provided in the prompt. Furthermore, the final sentence 'owning a house is good for everyone in future' contradicts the earlier balanced exploration of negative aspects like stress and financial strain. These logical contradictions and under-developed arguments align the response with Band 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay has a basic structure with clear paragraphing, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, cohesion and logical progression are frequently flawed. In the introductory paragraph, the concessional transition 'Though buying a house will provide a financial stability in long run, but may cause...' contains a double-marking error that disrupts cohesion. Additionally, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or misused, such as 'Furthermore, there are various advantages' leading into a paragraph that lists more benefits without clear signposting from the previous ideas. The conclusion fails to properly summarise the preceding arguments, making the logical flow disjointed. This level of cohesion is indicative of a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, featuring common terms like 'financial security', 'investment', and 'preferences'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward collocations throughout the text. Examples include 'financial sectors' instead of 'financial terms', 'financial crisis when need' instead of 'when needed', 'houseowner' instead of 'homeowner', and 'planning to much on house' instead of 'focusing too much on housing'. The misuse of 'depression' in the conclusion ('provides social stability and depression') heavily restricts the score. Because these vocabulary errors and inappropriate word choices sometimes impede the clarity of the message, the Lexical Resource score is a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'When you buy a house, you can make changes according to your preferences which is not possible in rented house.' However, control over grammar is weak, with frequent errors present. Key issues include missing articles ('in long run', 'in rented house', 'to be an financial stability'), incorrect prepositions ('with the time' instead of 'over time'), and faulty sentence structures, such as the ungrammatical conjunction pairing in 'Though... but...'. While the meaning can generally be parsed despite these errors, the high frequency of grammatical slips prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Therefore, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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