Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-13
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In many places, new homes are needed, but the only space available for building them is in the countryside. Some people believe it is more important to protect the countryside and not build new homes there.
What is your opinion about this?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Constructing new houses are required to meet the demand of rising population. It is often believed that in many places new houses are required but the only space is available in the countryside area Despite this, Some people think that it is more significant to protect the countryside area instead of building new homes. The essay will discuss the reasons to support this statement in the subsequent paragraphs.
The First and the foremost reason is that to meet the demand of housing the authorities should use some area to build the high rise apartment and ask people to plant more and more trees so save the environment. This will assist to combat the residential problems along with saving environment. Moreover, government should support the joint families instead of nuclear families. This will not only help to reduce the need of housing but it will also increase humanity and respect among people. For Example: The survey conducted in 2025 showed that the demand of the housing increase because of the nuclear families.
Elaborating further, Countryside area is the very peaceful place where people can sit and relax their mind in comparison to any other place of the city or town. To protect this area, the one child scheme should be initiated. Less population means decrease demand of housing. Thus the countryside area can be preserved to remain the peace of the country.
By doing this there will be very less requirement of building houses on countryside area.
To Conclude, Countryside area is the Centre eye of attraction as many people go their to relax their mind after the hectic schedule. Higher authorities can play significant role to preserve the countryside area by applying various schemes such as one child and promoting joint family.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the conflict between housing needs and countryside preservation. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. The suggestion of a 'one child scheme' to solve housing shortages is a radical policy proposal that lacks sufficient logical grounding or real-world context, making the argument feel underdeveloped. While a position is clear, the supporting points—such as the link between nuclear families and housing demand—are presented as assertions rather than well-reasoned arguments. To improve, you should focus on more practical solutions, such as urban regeneration or infrastructure development, and provide more detailed explanations for your claims.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. While transition words like 'Moreover' and 'Elaborating further' are used, they sometimes feel forced or do not accurately reflect the relationship between sentences. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the introduction where the thesis statement is slightly repetitive. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a strong logical progression. To achieve a higher band, focus on using cohesive devices more naturally and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus that builds logically toward your conclusion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'Centre eye of attraction' and 'relax their mind', which are not standard collocations. You rely on basic vocabulary and repetitive structures. To improve, aim to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and topic-specific terminology related to urban planning and environmental conservation. For example, instead of 'build the high rise apartment', use 'develop high-density residential complexes'. Expanding your range of academic collocations will significantly enhance your lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Subject-verb agreement issues are common, such as 'Constructing new houses are required' (should be 'is') and 'demand of the housing increase' (should be 'increases'). There are also issues with article usage ('the countryside area', 'the one child scheme') and punctuation. While you attempt some complex sentence structures, they are often marred by these errors. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Proofreading your work for these specific, recurring errors will help you achieve a higher level of accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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