Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-13

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)

The significant rise in human population needs more area of houses to provide. However the available geographical locations are filled with the present population so in order to meet the demands new locations are needed in countryside.

In my opinion preserving and protecting the countryside is really crucial for the upcoming future as afforestation has resulted in global warming and polluted air. Having said that it is also important to look after the growing population where they could reside. If we clear the area of countryside including tress it would have adverse effect on the climate.

So what could be done? I believe UN (United Nations) along with WHO (World Health Organization) should take initiatives to control over population and keep a check on the countries which are densely populated that will help the nature to adapt with slow growing population and the resources available will be enough for all.

I fall in the part of population who believes in conservation of greenery so that we are not being greedy to fulfill our demands by damaging the nature and constructing area full of houses and tall buildings which will result in extinction of many plants, trees followed by species residing on them. To carter the demand we should think of alternatives such as building shared spaces for two or more family in together, creating basements in tall building which should be fit for living and the most crucial is to have changes in the land reforms - stating one family can't invest least 1 and maximum of 2 properties which will lesser the growing demand of buying more properties for one person

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the need for new housing and the importance of protecting the countryside. You establish a clear position early on—that preserving greenery is crucial—and attempt to support your ideas with solutions like shared spaces and land reforms. However, some ideas remain slightly under-developed or general, such as the mention of WHO and UN interventions, which lack close connection to the practical realities of local housing shortages. Nevertheless, your arguments are relevant, the prompt's core tension is recognized, and you maintain a clear stance throughout, aligning well with the criteria for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraph divisions that separate the introduction, your opinion, proposed solutions, and concluding thoughts. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However', 'In my opinion', and 'Having said that', although referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or slightly disjointed—for instance, the transition between paragraph two and three ('So what could be done?') is rather abrupt. Paragraphing is present and helps structure the argument, but logical progression between sentences could be smoother in places. These features place your organization solidly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'afforestation', 'extinction', and 'land reforms'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors that impact precision, such as 'needs more area of houses to provide' instead of 'requires more land for housing', and spelling or phrasing errors like 'tress' for trees and 'carter' for cater. While these vocabulary lapses and minor inaccuracies do not impede overall communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands. Overall, your vocabulary use fits the requirements of a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting ambitious structures such as conditional sentences ('If we clear the area...'). However, frequent grammatical errors, awkward phrasing, and punctuation issues persist throughout the text. Examples include 'population needs more area of houses to provide', 'control over population', and 'stating one family can't invest least 1 and maximum of 2 properties which will lesser the growing demand'. These errors require the reader to occasionally re-read parts of sentences, though they rarely completely impede overall comprehension. This level of control corresponds directly to a Band 5.5.

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

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