Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
In many nations having the ownership of a house is important for many people rather than leasing a house. I prefer it as a postive trend because of reason such as people don't have to pay to their owner every month and save more money and other reason being people who have their own home are much relieved all their lives as home is one of the basic amenities.
The first positive side is that the ownership of the house give such a benefit that an individual doesn't have to pay the rent every month. On the contrary the people who don't have the ownership they have the headache of paying rent every month and a major part of their salary is deducted each month their savings are much lower for this reason. To give an example, The Newyork Times states in an article from the current month that people who have ownership of their house have more capital investment than those who pay rent each month.
The other is that the people who have ownership of their home are much relieved and mentally and physically stable as they don't have to hustle more to pay the rent on the contrary the people who stay on rent they work double shift or extra hours just to suffice their montly income which includes rent as well. These people work all their lives to pay their rent to stay but never get the home entirely as their main motive is not to own the home. This create a never-ending loophole, and it does affect them both mentally and physically. For an instance, The Times of India states that the people who pay rent each month rather than having ownership have more of an effect on both their mental and physical health and there is a surge of heart strokes in such cases.
To conclude, in many countries people prefer owning a house rather than renting it reasons being they can invest money and it doesn't directly affect their mental and physical health.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, explaining why homeownership is important and clearly stating the writer's position that it is a positive trend. The ideas presented, such as monthly financial relief and psychological well-being, are relevant and extended. For example, the student explains how renting traps individuals in a loop of working double shifts. However, there is a tendency to over-generalize, and some supporting points rely on dubious citations ('The Newyork Times states...') rather than fully developed logical elaboration. Nevertheless, the main parts of the task are well covered, matching the criteria for a Band 6.5 to 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay presents a clear logical organisation with an introduction, two body paragraphs focusing on distinct benefits, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently. Cohesive devices are employed, but they are sometimes repetitive or mechanical, such as the frequent use of 'on the contrary' and 'the other is that'. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional run-on sentences and a lack of varied transition words hinder the flow. Overall, the arrangement provides a coherent structure that is easy to follow, placing it comfortably in the Band 6 range.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'amenities', 'capital investment', 'loophole', and 'surge'. However, there are noticeable word-choice inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'having the ownership of a house' instead of 'homeownership', and spelling errors like 'montly' and 'Newyork'. While the student attempts less common vocabulary, the inaccuracies in collocation and word formation prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands. The vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the intended message.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer attempts complex structures using clauses ('people who have their own home are much relieved...'), but these often run on without proper punctuation, resulting in run-on sentences. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('stay on rent' instead of 'renting'), tense issues, and punctuation slips. Although these errors do not severely impede communication, their frequency prevents the essay from achieving a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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