Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-26

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)

There have been a noticeable trend regarding many people prefer to stay near the place where they were born. I believe the main reason would be an emotional connection and hardcore memories which they do not want to leave. Although the benefits of this approach are generational values and driving up the pace of the family tree, I strongly opine that people loses focus from their career and lower down their long-term goals.

On the one hand, living close to the birth place provides a sense of satisfaction. It plays a vital role in describing cultural norms and traditions to the younger generation. Nowadays, people migrate to other countries in search of better job opportunities and modern lifestyle; however, it leads to permanent removal of childhood memories. Staying within our hometown boundary allows peace of mind and friendly environment which is impossible to have in the countries overseas.

On the other hand, world is relying highly on advanced technology and modernized equipment. With the involvement of competitive mindset, youth prefer to persue their higher education from a well-known university. As it is completely impossible to achieve tertiary education from a small town because of the limited resources.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify a plausible reason—emotional attachment to childhood memories—and discuss benefits such as cultural continuity and peace of mind, alongside a career and education disadvantage. However, the task is only partially addressed: the reasons for staying near one’s birthplace are not developed beyond emotional connection, and the disadvantages are mainly asserted rather than explained. The point about limited tertiary education in small towns is relevant, but the final sentence is incomplete and no example supports it. The response also does not meet the required minimum of 250 words, which limits the opportunity to explain and support each part. Develop both reasons and advantages/disadvantages with specific examples, and make your overall position clear throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction followed by paragraphs beginning “On the one hand” and “On the other hand.” This helps the reader distinguish benefits from disadvantages. However, the discussion does not progress fully: the reasons raised in the introduction are not clearly separated from the advantages, and the final paragraph ends abruptly with an unfinished “As it is…” sentence. Some links are also unclear, such as the move from migration for jobs to the claim that it causes permanent removal of childhood memories. Use each paragraph to develop one main point in a logical sequence, connect claims explicitly, and complete the final idea rather than leaving it as a fragment.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “emotional connection,” “cultural norms and traditions,” “job opportunities,” and “tertiary education.” These choices make the general subject clear, and you attempt less common expressions. However, several phrases are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “hardcore memories,” “driving up the pace of the family tree,” and “lower down their long-term goals.” There are also spelling and word-choice slips, including “persue” and “birth place.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Prefer established collocations and check spelling; for example, describe preserving family traditions or limiting career prospects rather than using unclear figurative phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “Although” and a clause beginning “which.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “There have been a noticeable trend” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “many people prefer” is needed after “regarding.” In “people loses focus,” the plural subject requires “lose.” The sentence beginning “As it is completely impossible…” is a dependent clause presented as a complete sentence, and “the birth place” needs an article or possessive form appropriate to the context. Work on agreement, complete sentence construction, and article use while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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