Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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)

In today's rapidly changing world, some people spend their lives living close to where they were born has become a matter of considerable debate. Although this debates offers several advantages as well as disadvantages.

One of the main reasons why people spend their time in that place where they were born is that they are familiar to the environment as well as people. This is because they when parents want to go to do shopping, they just call their neighbours to take care of their children. Because they know each other very well. Additionally, in that place children and even families can develop their friendship in a very good way. They become their families. For instance, where my family and I live. This is my father and ours childhood's place so we can't move from here. We spend all our childhood here so every person in our society knows about us. Even most of the shop-keepers also know us from our father's perspectives. This place hold several memories.

On the other hand, the main disadvantage of living where they were born is every person know about your life. You cann't achieve success because they didn't wanted to become higher in position. They often compare their child with another child, as a result it might affected on children mental and physical well being. Additionally, children must be frustrated from these comparisons. And it leads to be harmful as they lost their lives because of stressed.

In conclusion, if some people spend most of their lives where they were born so they shouldn't compare them with others. As well as they should promote them in brilliant way.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt: reasons, advantages, and disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and occasionally lacks clarity. For instance, the argument regarding the disadvantages of living in one's birthplace is somewhat confusingly expressed, particularly the claim that people 'didn't wanted to become higher in position' and the subsequent link to mental health. While the ideas are relevant, they are not fully extended or supported with sophisticated reasoning. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not effectively summarise the main points discussed in the body paragraphs. To improve, ensure that each point is clearly explained and logically connected to the overall topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the sentence 'Because they know each other very well' is a sentence fragment, and the transition 'And it leads to be harmful' is awkward. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'they didn't wanted to become higher in position,' where the antecedent for 'they' is ambiguous. While there is a basic logical progression, the flow between sentences is frequently interrupted by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, which hinders the overall coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a reliance on simple, repetitive language, such as 'good way' and 'very well.' Some word choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as 'from our father's perspectives' and 'promote them in brilliant way.' There are also issues with collocation, such as 'lost their lives because of stressed.' While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the presence of errors in word choice limit the score. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise, topic-specific terms would significantly improve your writing.

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 ('every person know'), tense inconsistencies ('they didn't wanted'), and incorrect sentence fragments ('Because they know each other very well'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of full stops where commas or conjunctions would be more appropriate. While the writer attempts complex structures, these are often faulty. To reach a higher band, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring subject-verb agreement before attempting more complex grammatical forms.

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

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