Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-08
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)
Often we have read this sentence in our books that Man is a social animal and he likes to live in groups. People are likes to make their own place where they live their own independence. Some people spend most of their lives living close to where they were born.
The reason behind this behaviour is the most probably is that people are stick with their culture, traditions and civilization especially where they are living from decades. Their godfathers lived here their whole life, died , and buried their own land. So people are mentally, psychologically and physically attach. They don't want to go anywhere where they get start from starting point. That's why they don't take initiative to go elsewhere. They love their own land. They farming lands and start bussines to enhance progress of that place.
On the other hand, some people does not like to live same place. Sometimes people are highly qualified and they want to go urban areas to do job or business. So they leave their land for a while so that they earn more money and increase income. Many people want to go for the explore new place. So in my opinion people's interest, priorities and their own personalities play a vital role to select the style of living. Technology has been changed the life style of the people as well. Online work take place the hand on work. So the impact of technology also considerable. People thinks that if they go big cities their will be more chances for grooming amd even for their financial growth.
So again it's depends on the priorities of the people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for staying in one's birthplace as well as the advantages and disadvantages of doing so. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the explanation of why people stay is repetitive, focusing heavily on emotional attachment without exploring other practical factors like family support or economic stability. The advantages and disadvantages are mentioned but not clearly contrasted or fully explored. The essay would benefit from more specific examples and a more structured approach to the pros and cons to reach a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical progression is weak. The transition between ideas is often abrupt, and the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical (e.g., 'On the other hand', 'So again'). Some sentences are disjointed, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of the argument. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the connection between 'godfathers' and the subsequent points is tenuous. Improved use of linking words and clearer topic sentences would significantly enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward word choices or incorrect collocations, such as 'people are stick with their culture', 'take place the hand on work', and 'go for the explore'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic terms to express complex ideas. To improve, you should focus on learning collocations and using more precise terminology related to migration, urbanisation, and social dynamics. Spelling errors, such as 'bussines' and 'amd', also detract from the overall quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('some people does not like', 'people are likes'), article usage, and tense consistency. For instance, 'Technology has been changed the life style' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic agreement and tense errors would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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