Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-28

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)

Peaceful place to live

Not crowded - more opportunities , less competition

distinction of wild animals and birds

Deforestation

Use of technology

In some places, more houses are the requirements, yet the only option is to build them in non-urban side. Many individuals think it is more crucial to protect the rural side and not create new houses there. There are so many reasons for this and my opinion will be discussed in the following paragraph.

The first and foremost reason is distinction of wild animals and birds. If we will create houses in the countryside then we have to cut all the forest area and there are wild animals and birds living there. so their home will be destroyed in making of ours. Secondly, the other reason would be deforestation. To explain in simple terms, if we will build more homes there, we need to cut trees and greeneries and it would be the result of deforestation. If we will cut the tress, no more carbon-dioxide we will get. Therefore, it is best to not make new home there correspondingly.

Moreover, the other reason is to make the best use of technlogy. For instance, we can make big buildings and apartments in the urban areas for people and try not to make homes in countryside. And instead of making row houses in urban areas, try to make big buildings and apartments for people to live respectively.

In the contrary, it is peaceful place to live. If we make homes in the countryside, it will be harmony for us. We will get no more crowd. And not only more opportunities but also less competition for everyone. For example, if there are less people to live then, there is less competition and more opportunities for everyone because of less population.

In my opinion, I would say to not build house in the countryside because I don not want to get deforestation and wild animals lost their homes. Although, it is peaceful place to live in non-urban areas, we will get less things for opportunities and will have to move to urban areas.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position against building in the countryside. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention environmental concerns like deforestation and habitat loss, the arguments are repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the point about 'technology' is vague and not clearly linked to the housing issue. The conclusion attempts to summarize your stance, but the reasoning remains somewhat simplistic. To improve, focus on providing more detailed explanations and concrete examples for each of your main points to ensure a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'The first and foremost reason', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing. For example, the transition to the counter-argument in the fourth paragraph is abrupt. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly improve the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'make' and 'good', and there are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'distinction of wild animals' (likely meaning 'destruction' or 'displacement') and 'non-urban side'. The repetition of words like 'houses' and 'people' limits the sophistication of your expression. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to urban planning, environmental conservation, and sustainability.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with article usage ('the countryside'), subject-verb agreement, and word order. For example, 'if we will cut the tress, no more carbon-dioxide we will get' is grammatically incorrect and awkward. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences and misuse of commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors would be beneficial.

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

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