Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-28

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 7.0)

Many individuals prefer living in the same place where they spent their childhood. It can be due to several factors such as familiarity with the location and sense of belongingness. This mindset can have a number of advantages and few drawbacks as well.

The primary reason can be the familiarity of an individual with nearby places like schools, shops, and neighbourhoods. These things make it easy for them to live a comfortable life and does not demand much change in their routine. The second reason is their sense of belongingness to the houses and land people lived since they were born. For instance, some communities in rural India prefer living in joint families and cultivate their own land inherited from the older generations.

There can be advantages of staying at the same place including cheaper cost of living and emotional support from immediate family members. To be more specific, an individual living in a countryside home with his parents can save a lot of money that could otherwise be spent in rent. Another factor can be the mental and emotional support offered by family members, relatives, and friends of a person. When in need, people who are related to us like cousins, uncles or aunts, are more likely to help us, compared to if we live in a city where we barely know each other.

It can have some drawbacks as well which we cannot ignore in the long run. Firstly, one can miss numerous opportunities in terms of career and education if tries to live in the comfort zone of hometown. Second can be knowledge and experiences which comes with exposure. If an individual chooses to stay in a limited geographical area, his knowledge will be less compared to one who keeps on relocating and learning new things.

In conclusion, familiarity and sense of belongingness can lead to people's choice of staying at their birth place for years. This choice can give them numerous benefits emotionally and economically, also the minor drawbacks of lack of exposure and opportunities should be tackled.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task. It investigates the reasons why people remain in their birthplace, namely familiarity with the surroundings and a sense of belongingness, and also evaluates both the advantages and disadvantages of this lifestyle. The ideas are clearly supported with relevant examples, such as referencing rural India and joint families. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The arguments are extended appropriately, meeting the Band 7 criteria where all parts of the prompt are addressed with clear reasoning and development, though some points like the disadvantages could be slightly more deeply explored.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to reasons, advantages, disadvantages, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'The primary reason', 'To be more specific', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is managed appropriately to separate distinct themes. Referencing is generally clear, though minor mechanical transitions could be slightly more sophisticated to reach higher band levels. Overall, the essay aligns well with the Band 7 descriptor for logical flow and organization.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for flexibility and precision, utilizing phrases such as 'sense of belongingness', 'cost of living', and 'geographical area'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style, for instance, 'immediate family members' and 'comfort zone'. There are occasional slight awkwardness or minor collocation errors, such as 'houses and land people lived since they were born' instead of 'lived on', but these do not impede communication. The lexical range is adequate for a solid Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a decent command of grammar. Examples of complex structures include 'When in need, people who are related to us like cousins, uncles or aunts, are more likely to help us...' There are some grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('this mindset can have a number of advantages and few drawbacks') and minor omissions ('Second can be knowledge...'), but these errors rarely impede communication and there are numerous error-free sentences present, placing this firmly in the Band 6.5 range, rounding to 6.5.

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

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