Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-18

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)

Living life the way a person dreams of since their childhood is actually a dream nowadays due to high property cost and change in living standards, however, a section of society still can afford to live at or near the place where they spent their childhood. There are multifarious merits and demerits too of living close to such place.

First and foremost reason could be that the propert belongs to their ancestors and they do not want to leave it to still have that feeling of belongingness. Secondly, a place where they have spend their most years give them a felling that they are surrounded by society whom they know.

Moreover, by staying at or near the place they were born gives them an opportunity to show their coming generation the society and livelyhood they spent there. For example, an article in recent magazine illustrated that children who have lived with or close to their parents place are more connected to their hometowns and family.

On the other side, there are certain disadvantages as well, people do not get a chance to come out of their comfort zone and they end up doing the same tasks on daily basis. Additionally, they hesitate to open up with other people which affects their profession and personal growth and communication.

To conclude, people staying near the places where they were born has it's own advantages and demerits, however,

reason depends upon a person's self interest too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt: reasons, advantages, and disadvantages are identified. However, the development of these ideas is limited. The essay is 243 words, failing the 250-word minimum requirement, which results in a penalty. The arguments, such as 'ancestral property' and 'comfort zone', are relevant but lack depth and specific elaboration. To improve, you should expand on your examples and ensure each point is fully explored to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive discussion. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not effectively summarize the main points discussed in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices like 'First and foremost', 'Secondly', 'Moreover', and 'On the other side' to signal transitions. However, the use of these devices is somewhat mechanical. Additionally, there are issues with referencing; for example, in the final paragraph, 'reason depends upon a person's self interest' is vague and does not clearly link back to the previous arguments. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use some appropriate terms like 'multifarious', 'belongingness', and 'livelyhood' (noting the spelling error). However, there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'the propert belongs' and 'felling that they are surrounded'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring accurate spelling. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise academic terms would also help convey your ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the propert belongs' (subject-verb agreement/spelling), 'a place where they have spend' (incorrect verb tense), and 'it's own advantages' (incorrect use of apostrophe). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly in the final paragraph where a comma splice occurs. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. You should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and correct punctuation.

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

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