Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-16
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)
Wether the new homes construction is shifting to the countryside due to lack of empty land in the urban area is highly debated topic. Some people think it should not happen whereas some people are thinking its is necessary for the nations growth. In my opinion, I believe there should be balancing approach for both protecting the rural area and meeting the needs of the housing.
To begin with, preventing the countryside land is very crucial for the society as it plays the major role providing natural resources and also biodiversity for the environment. If people keeps on destroying these lands on regular basis there will be litreally much bad consequences effects on the environment in long run. For example, misusing water resources can lead to pollution or water shortages. Secondly, Urban areas consist of many natural surroundings which is great for the people well being. People can go to these areas and clear their mind from the city's noise and crowds, and they can spend time with their families and friends; therefore they feel relaxed and rejuvenated.
On the other hand, increase in people population has forced to keep on building the new houses which has become the major problem these days which should be addressed on imediate purpose without effecting rural areas. Additionally, government should implement some policies about infrastruction in order to build more eco friendly homes revolve around urbanization which involves many factories, thus, leading to great deal of waste and air pollution, however, thanks to regualtions implemented by the goverment in advance to solve this problem.
To conclude, both conserving the countryside and solving the demands for housing can be addressed at the same time. Undeveloped areas are atmost important for for sustainable future and people's wellbeing, and meeting housing needs might be conducted without damage to nature by raising awareness among people and implementing new regulations.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the need to protect the countryside and the necessity of building new homes. A clear position is established in the introduction ('In my opinion, I believe there should be balancing approach...') and maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are extended with relevant examples and explanations, such as mentioning water resources and the psychological benefits of natural surroundings. However, some arguments lack complete depth, placing the response solidly within Band 6. The discussion around urban pollution and government policies in the third paragraph becomes slightly tangled and under-developed, but the overall task is addressed in a relevant and structured manner.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is arranged coherently with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, fulfilling the basic structural requirements. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different arguments, moving from environmental protection to housing demands. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'To begin with', 'Secondly', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the sentence 'Additionally, government should implement some policies about infrastruction in order to build more eco friendly homes revolve around urbanization...' suffers from awkward linking and unclear referencing, which affects the smoothness of the progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'rejuvenated', 'biodiversity', and 'eco friendly'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that detract from the overall quality, including 'Wether' instead of 'Whether', 'litreally', 'atmost', 'infrastruction', and 'regualtions'. Phrasing like 'balancing approach for both' and 'on imediate purpose' also reveals limitations in collocation and style. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar with structures like 'If people keeps on destroying these lands...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('people keeps on'), missing articles ('lack of empty land in the urban area', 'for sustainable future'), and awkward dependent clauses ('...homes revolve around urbanization'). Punctuation and phrasing in longer sentences occasionally become convoluted, but the meaning generally remains clear enough for the reader to follow the argument.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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