Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-11

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 several nations, some people prefer to rent a home rather than owning it. This is because houses have become incredibly expensive despite the stagnant family income. This is a negative development as people who rent will almost be never be able to pay for their dream house as monthly or yearly rent payment will deplete their savings continuosly.

Renting crisis is mainly because of increasing house prices in spite of constant income over the years. It is the responsibilty of the government to contract more construction workers so that new homes could be made thereby reducing the cost of living. However, the government had not focused on this in the past as their priority was nation's education and foreign connections. Moreover, nowadays, a large proportion of the population is working class, if the immediate reform of salary policies by the private and public organisation is not done, the problem may worsen.

This is a negative development as continous update in lease aggrements will increase the rent prices exponentially. However, common citizens after paying the rent and their basic utilities, will find it more and more difficult to save the money for a future house. For example, in Canada, inflation has gone so worse that percentage of home owners has dropped to an all time low.

In conclusion, renting is the only option available to common populace since the cost of property has reached all time high and the family income is not able to cope up with it. Government should take responsibility for this and make regulations benefitting the construction companies so that new and affordable homes could become available to everyone.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response gives a clear negative view and identifies a relevant cause: house prices have risen while family incomes have stagnated. It also explains a consequence, namely that rent payments make saving for a home difficult. However, the task asks why owning a home is important to people, whereas the essay mainly explains why renting has become necessary and costly. It therefore addresses the central question only minimally. The proposed government response—encouraging construction and changing salary policies—is mentioned but not clearly connected to why people value ownership. The Canada example is also asserted without evidence or explanation. To strengthen the response, explain motivations such as security, independence, or investment, then develop the positive or negative judgement with specific reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The essay has a recognisable introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, and its overall negative position is easy to identify. The paragraphs broadly group causes, consequences, and a final summary. However, progression is weakened because the opening says people prefer renting, while the task concerns the importance of owning a home; this mismatch makes the argument feel disconnected from the prompt. Some links are also awkward or unclear: “However” introduces a point that does not clearly contrast with the preceding claim, and the sentence beginning “Moreover, nowadays” combines salary reform with the housing problem without explaining the relationship. Use topic sentences that directly answer each part of the question, and make each transition show a precise logical connection.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a reasonably varied range for the topic, including “stagnant family income,” “lease agreements,” “inflation,” and “affordable homes.” These choices help communicate the housing and financial concerns, and the meaning is generally clear. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “contract more construction workers,” “continuous update in lease agreements,” and “inflation has gone so worse.” There are also spelling errors, including “responsibilty,” “continuosly,” and “aggrements,” which reduce control. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling carefully. For example, say “hire more construction workers,” “rent increases when leases are renewed,” and “inflation has worsened considerably.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay attempts a mix of simple and complex structures, including a reason clause (“This is because…”) and a conditional sentence (“if… is not done, the problem may worsen”). Most sentences remain understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction and grammatical forms. In “people who rent will almost be never be able,” the placement of “never” and the repeated “be” disrupt the structure. “The government had not focused on this in the past as their priority was…” also has an unclear pronoun reference and an awkward tense relationship. The long sentence beginning “Moreover, nowadays” is difficult to control. Review word order, pronoun agreement, and sentence boundaries, and use complex clauses only when their relationships are clear.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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