Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-25

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)

A living place falls under one of the basic necessities of an individual. People of some nations believe that buying a home instead of living in a rental one is very crucial. In my opinion, it can have both positive and negative impact.

One of the reasons people tend to invest in a home because they think it as an asset. This is because after purchasing a home they might have an income source from it. Additionally, they can sell it with a higher value afterwards if needed. As a result, they can have financial benefits from it. For instance, a person buying a home can give it to rent for commercial space with a higher rent which will give him some extra money. Therefore, buying an apartment can give people an option to more income sources.

On the other hand, it can be quite difficult for middleclass people to own a living place because of the financial burden. The reason is that, an individual has to pay a down payment for buying a property. Hence, it can create a burden for them. Such as, a service holder who doe not earn enough money can find it quite difficult to purchase a home. For them it's easier to rent a place. Thus renting home is the feasible option for some classes of people in order to reduce the financial load.

In conclusion it can be said that in a few countries, people find it very necessary to own a home. In my way of thinking, while it is wise for some people to buy a place as it can used as asset, some people find it difficult to own a home.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by giving a reason for home ownership—its potential as an asset and source of income—and discussing the financial burden that can make renting preferable. The examples of renting out a property and a lower-paid worker struggling with a down payment help make these points relevant. However, the response does not fully explain why owning a home is especially important in some countries, and the positive-or-negative judgement remains unclear: the introduction says it has “both positive and negative impact,” while the conclusion mainly restates the contrast without deciding which overall view you hold. Develop the country-specific reasons and state a clear position that you maintain throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting considerations, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Additionally,” “As a result,” and “On the other hand” help readers follow the sequence. However, some connections are mechanical or do not express the relationship precisely. For example, “Such as” introduces an example as a sentence fragment, and “Therefore” repeats the preceding point rather than advancing it. The conclusion also does not clearly resolve the contrast established in the body. Use fewer formulaic transitions, connect examples directly to the claims they support, and make the final paragraph state your overall judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “financial burden,” “down payment,” “asset,” and “income source,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “commercial space.” However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise: “give it to rent” should be expressed as renting the property out, and “a higher value afterwards” is unclear. “Living place” and “very crucial” are also less natural choices in this context, while “middleclass” is incorrectly formed. Aim for more accurate property-related collocations and vary repeated terms such as “home,” “place,” and “buy.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning “because,” “which,” and “while,” and most of the message remains understandable. However, errors occur in several sentence patterns. For example, “One of the reasons people tend to invest in a home because…” is missing a main verb structure; “they think it as an asset” has an incorrect verb pattern; and “it can used as asset” is missing both a verb form and an article. There are also agreement and punctuation issues, such as “both positive and negative impact” and the missing comma after “In conclusion.” Review clause construction, verb patterns, articles, and agreement, then proofread each sentence for a complete grammatical structure.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.