Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-05

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)

Some people believe to spend most of their lives living close to where they were born. While other prefer to shift to other cities or countries. There could be several reasons for that which I will talk about in the upcoming pargraphs along with its advantages and disadvantages.

To begin with, the first reason could be is that people feel secure while living in the same place where they spend all their childhood and youth time. In addition, they might have a permanent job, home and their family business.

Furthermore, the main advantage is that people can make a strong relationship with their family and friends. They don't need to take stress to come home to celebrate a festival or any occassion with their closed onces. Apart form that, people can feel secure while living in the same culture. And if they need any help from their family member like in financial or any houshold chores it will be easy for them.

On the other hand, there are disadvantages as well. The major disadvantage is that they can't

experience the other culture and their tradition. For example, if people live in other city or country they can try their local food and their festivals or their traditions. With this, it can be a major problem in their career growth. Because in their place they can get small opportunites for their future while if they live in big city they might have chances for a bright future. For instance, big companies always start their project in big cities and they always need people who lives in the same area.

In conclusion, living in the birthplace can help people to maintain strong relation with their family and friends but it can costs the opportunites for their carrer growth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you give reasons such as feeling secure, having a job or family business, and discuss benefits and drawbacks. The response stays relevant, and the conclusion restates the central trade-off between family ties and career opportunities. However, the reasons are only briefly listed, and several points need fuller explanation. For example, the claim that people remain near their birthplace because they have a permanent job or family business is not developed with an example or explanation. The disadvantages are clearer, but the point about companies needing people who live locally is not fully explained. To strengthen the response, develop each main idea with a specific example and make the connection between the example and the question explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for reasons and advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and some connections are unclear. The introduction promises to discuss reasons and advantages and disadvantages, but the reasons paragraph is very short, while the advantages paragraph contains several points joined mainly by “And” and “Apart from that.” The sentence beginning “Because in their place…” is also detached from the preceding claim. Group related ideas more clearly and use linking phrases to show cause, contrast, or example rather than relying on repeated transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “secure,” “career growth,” “culture,” and “opportunities.” However, the range is limited and several noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make the writing less natural. Examples include “childhood and youth time,” “closed onces,” “take stress,” and “bright future”; these expressions are understandable but not idiomatic in context. There are also spelling errors such as “pargraphs,” “occassion,” “opportunites,” and “carrer.” Aim to learn common collocations for migration, family ties, and employment, and proofread carefully for spelling. More precise vocabulary would help you express the same ideas with greater clarity and variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if they need any help … it will be easy for them” and a contrast introduced by “while.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to follow. For example, “Some people believe to spend…” lacks a grammatical construction, while “the first reason could be is that” combines incompatible forms. There are also problems with agreement and sentence boundaries, as in “companies … they always need people who lives,” and the fragment “Because in their place…” after a full stop. Practise building accurate clauses with “believe that,” check subject–verb agreement, and connect dependent clauses to complete sentences.

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