Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-13

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 5.0)

Some individual tend to spend their lives near to where they got birth. This essay will shed light on causes of this trend and pros and cons of this trend.

There are several reasons of living close to area where they were born. Firstly, they are emotionally attached with this place. They are familiar with each part of area. Therefore, it seems hard for them to disconnect with birth place. Secondary, they may recall their childhood memories while playing and studying in this place. They may feel rejuvenated while visiting these places again. Thus, they may want to preserve their memories of spending time with parents and grand parents.

There are some positive and negative effects of this situation. firstly,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify relevant reasons for staying near one’s birthplace, especially emotional attachment, familiarity, and childhood memories. However, the response addresses the task only partially: it does not explain any disadvantages, and the advantages are not actually described—the final paragraph stops at “firstly,”. The reasons are also only briefly stated, with no specific example or explanation of how they influence people’s decisions. In addition, the response is 120 words, so it falls 130 words short of the required minimum. To develop the answer, explain both benefits and drawbacks, support each main point with a relevant example, and write a complete conclusion that summarises your view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph about reasons, and an attempted paragraph on effects. Sequencing within the reasons paragraph is understandable, and connectors such as “Firstly,” “Therefore,” and “Thus” show an effort to link ideas. However, the essay has no clear overall progression because the discussion of advantages and disadvantages is left unfinished, and the final paragraph ends abruptly. Some linking is mechanical, with several sentences beginning with connectors rather than showing more varied relationships. Complete each paragraph around a clear main idea, use transitions to guide the reader between reasons and effects, and add a concluding paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “emotionally attached,” “familiar,” “disconnect,” and “childhood memories.” These choices communicate the general ideas, and “rejuvenated” shows an attempt to use a less common word. However, several phrases are unnatural or imprecise, such as “got birth,” “reasons of living,” and “disconnect with birth place.” The repeated use of “place” and “trend” also limits variety. Aim for natural collocations and more precise terms, for example, “were born,” “reasons for staying,” and “leave their hometown.” A broader range would also help you explain the advantages and disadvantages clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You produce several understandable simple and compound sentences, such as “They are familiar with each part of area. Therefore, it seems hard for them to disconnect with birth place.” You also attempt a more complex structure with “while playing and studying.” However, grammatical control is uneven: “Some individual tend” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “they were born” is needed instead of “they got birth.” Articles and plurals are also inconsistent, as in “each part of area” and “grand parents.” Capitalisation after sentence breaks is incorrect in “firstly,” and the final sentence fragment is incomplete. Practise accurate sentence patterns and check agreement, articles, plurals, and punctuation when editing.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.