Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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)

Nowadays, some in the socieaty prefer to live near to their native town instead living away, and this behaviour has both advantage and disadvantage. Althoug this essay will desciribe both sides, I think this behaviour can have more advantange than disadvantage.

Currently, many people decide get outside the country for employment or academic purposes. But then, over the years, they decide to come back to their hometown. One advantage of this, is that when people come back they are happier because they already know that their family is there, and, it is know for everyone that the familly provide support. For example, a women who will become in mother would wish to live close to her mother and sister because she will feel protected and supported.

However, on the other hand, a person who decide living close their hometown will experiment some disadvantages, one of them is that they will not have independence and privacity because every member of their familiy will be there, and it is know for many that in a small hometown does no exist the confidenciality and the secrets. This situation could make that people feel stressed because everyone around their will know everything about them, and this can make people become selfish.

In conclusion, if people decide to living close to where they were born, they could have advantange and disadvantage, but as i think the familiy is the most important I would say that the advantage outweigth disadvantage.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the reasons people may return to their hometown and discuss an advantage and a disadvantage, with a clear preference for the benefits of family support. The example of a woman wanting her mother and sister nearby makes the advantage relevant. However, the reasons are only partly explained: the opening mentions employment and study abroad, but does not clearly explain why people choose to remain near where they were born. The disadvantage is also generalised, and the claim that this can make people “selfish” is not explained. The response is 244 words, six words below the required minimum. Develop each point with a clearer explanation or example, especially the reasons for staying, and make the conclusion’s comparison more precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the benefit and drawback, and a conclusion. This makes the main direction easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “For example,” “However,” and “In conclusion.” At times, though, cohesion is mechanical or confusing: “However, on the other hand” repeats the contrast, while “this behaviour” and “this situation” do not always identify a precise idea. The first body paragraph moves from people going abroad to returning home without fully connecting that sequence to the question of staying near one’s birthplace. Use fewer, more purposeful transitions and make the relationship between each example and its main point explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “employment,” “academic purposes,” “independence,” and “support,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable, such as “socieaty,” “desciribe,” “privacity,” and “confidenciality.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “experiment some disadvantages” and “it is know for everyone” do not express the ideas idiomatically. These errors sometimes make the reader pause, although the main message remains understandable. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common collocations, for example, “experience disadvantages” and “receive support from family.” Aim to use precise terms rather than repeating “advantage” and “disadvantage.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a reason clause (“because they already know that their family is there”) and a conditional example (“A women who will become in mother…”). However, errors are frequent, and some complex attempts are difficult to follow. Examples include “many people decide get,” “a person who decide living,” and “if people decide to living,” where verb patterns are incorrect. There are also problems with articles, agreement, and sentence construction, as in “a women” and “the family provide support.” These errors sometimes obscure the intended meaning. Practise verb patterns after “decide” (decide to do something), subject–verb agreement, and article use. Then proofread each sentence to ensure its subject and main verb form a complete, accurate structure.

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