Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-04
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people spend most of their lives living close to where they were born.
What might be the reasons for this?
What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Some people spend most of their lives living close to where they were born because of comfort and relationship they are attached to their birth place. In this essay will discuss both advantages and disadvantages of this fact.
On the one hand, they are several advantages of living the life near the birth place such as same tradition, relatives and comfort zone. This is because it makes the people stay in their birth place by providing numerous reasons. For instance, people who lives in their own born place feels more comfortable and safe than people living away from home town as a result which leads to stressful life and disturbance in a living pattern. Another major reason is family support for financial and emotional reasons plays a crucial role in individuals life. Living near to the place where we born enables people to stay connected with relatives and provide emotional and financial support whenever needed.
Moreover, the main drawback of living close to the place where we born can limit individuals growth and development. People will achieve limited growth within the specific area and less chances to explore different types of tradition and culture. For example, people can face limited growth in the professional work or sometimes unemployment due to limited skills. They are unaware of different traditions and languages which makes them dissatisfied with their growth and leads to slow progress in their future life.
To sum up, spending time near to their birth place have both advantages and disadvantages but the advantages outweigh the drawbacks such as financial and emotional support plays a major role in individuals life than the growth of the people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt: reasons for staying near one's birthplace, as well as the advantages and disadvantages. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of why living away from home leads to a 'disturbed living pattern' is vague and lacks sufficient depth. While the main points are relevant, the supporting examples could be more specific to better illustrate the arguments. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully explored with more detailed reasoning rather than relying on general statements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'To sum up' are used to guide the reader. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'birth place' and 'growth'. Referencing is generally clear, but some transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall progression of ideas. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the structure helps the reader follow the argument without difficulty.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'emotional and financial support' and 'professional work'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is noticeable repetition of phrases like 'birth place' and 'limited growth'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'own born place' instead of 'hometown' or 'place of birth'. To improve, the student should focus on using a wider variety of synonyms and more precise collocations to convey meaning more effectively.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('people who lives', 'relatives... provide'), missing articles ('in individuals life'), and awkward phrasing ('as a result which leads to'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of these minor errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement and article usage would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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