Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-01
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 modern digital era, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people because people are free from the tension of paying the rent of the house. I think it is a positive situation to own a house.
On the one hand, a house is the only place where humans feel more relaxed with their families. People feel satisfied and calm in their own house because they are free from the tension of paying the house rent. For instance, there are many problems in this world. A single person cannot afford the expenses of house rent, electricity bills, gas bills, groceries and many other fees for their children's school. If a person has their own house, the biggest problem of rent is removed. They can save money for their difficult times.
On the other hand, a rented house is not your actual house. If you live there, you have to pay rent. At any time, the owner of the house may say, "Get out of my house." In this situation, where do you stand? That's why buying a house is very important. Another reason is that you do not have to change the address of your house from time to time. For example, if you live in Sialkot, the owner may remove you from the house, but on your ID card, the address of the house where you live is still mentioned. These are some reasons why I think owning a home is very important.
In conclusion, you can decorate your home as you want. Moreover, you can make memories in your own house. That's why I think it is a positive situation.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing why homeownership is valued and stating a clear position that this is a positive situation. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the main reason provided for why homeownership is important relies heavily on the elimination of rent tension, such as when mentioning that "the biggest problem of rent is removed" and that people are "free from the tension of paying the house rent." While some relevant ideas are presented, such as stability of address and emotional comfort, they are under-developed and lack extension with broader societal or economic contexts. To move towards higher bands, the ideas need to be more fully expanded with deeper explanations and more varied supporting examples.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays some overall organization with clear paragraph breaks separating the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, there is a lack of clear progression throughout the text, and some ideas appear disjointed. For example, transitioning between paragraphs relies on basic formulas like "On the one hand" and "On the other hand," which do not always accurately fit the contrast being made, given that both body paragraphs argue in favour of homeownership rather than presenting opposing views. Additionally, cohesive devices are sometimes repetitive, with frequent reliance on phrases like "That's why I think." Improving the logical flow between sentences and employing a wider, more natural range of cohesive devices would significantly enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, but the range is quite limited and repetitive. The student frequently recycles basic terms such as "house," "rent," "tension," and "important." There are also noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as "tension of paying the rent" instead of the more natural "financial burden of rent," and informal expressions like "Get out of my house." While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider range of less common vocabulary and demonstrate better control over word choice, phrasing, and collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on simple sentences alongside a few basic complex forms. Attempts at more complex structures are sometimes faulty or overly repetitive, such as the frequent use of conditional and causal patterns starting with "If" and "That's why." There are frequent errors in grammar, including missing articles, incorrect prepositions, and awkward phrasing that can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, such as "change the address of your house from time to time" when referring to official identification documents. A greater variety of error-free complex sentences and better control over grammatical mechanics are necessary to progress.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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