Band 5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay on Owning vs Renting: Clarity & Coherence Issues
Sample Answer with Feedback

πŸ“… Published Apr 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommendedπŸ“ 269 words Β· Band 5
This Band 5 IELTS essay examines the advantages and disadvantages of owning a home compared to renting. Key feedback highlights clarity and coherence issues, as well as underdeveloped arguments that can be improved for better overall effectiveness.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question

Advantages/ Disadvantages Β· House Ownership Β· 40 min


The choice between owning and renting a home involves a careful consideration of various factors that can positively and negatively affect one's life. What are the advantages and disadvantages of owning a house compared to renting one?

Write at least 250 words.

 



5Band

Overall Band Score

269 words Β· Advantages/ Disadvantages Β· AI Evaluated

5
Task Response
5
Grammar
5
Vocabulary
5
Coherence

Score Breakdown

IELTS Writing Band Scores (1–9)

Overall Band Score
5
Task Response
5
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
5
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
5
Coherence & Cohesion
5

Summary: The essay meets the minimum word count of 250 words (269 words actual). It addresses the topic of advantages and disadvantages of owning a house but does not provide a balanced comparison with renting. The response is underdeveloped in places, with issues in coherence, vocabulary, and grammar affecting clarity.

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Student Answer
Real submission β€’ 269 words β€’ Annotated
269 wordsβ€’Band 5β€’WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

In today's fast moving life, people needs to take decision carefully to live a peaceful life. Many individual likely to own a house but some stay in rental property as they can't able to afford one as of their finance situtation. This essay shall discuss the advantages and disadvantages of owning a house and how it change them perpectively.

Firstly, living in their own house gives more freedom and independene as there are no rules or regulations to follow like keeping the house clean, keeping up the time in late hours and not spoiling any accessories installed by the tenant. Moreover, one's own house is flexible in many ways financially. For example, one of my friend bought his new home and he is not worried about paying the rent or deposit. He is financially stable to save enough money for his family.

However, there are few drawbacks when you own a house. First and foremost, the loan amount he gets from the bank. He have to pay the desired amount monthly with interest to the bank. This may work if he is financially stable but it won't be practical for an individual who is in middle class. Lastly, the maintenance have to be done by the owner of the house. For instant, last month there was an article on Daily Property website, the new house was sold once the owner can't afford to pay his repairing charges like electricity, plumping , furniture works.

To conclude, Owning a house is so efficient once you are stable financially but it takes efforts to maintain with other charges for your whole life.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling Β· Grammar Β· Vocabulary Β· Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

5 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
situtationsituation
independeneindependence
perpectivelyperspective
instantinstance
plumpingplumbing

Grammatical Mistakes

11 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
people needs to take decisionpeople need to make decisionsSubject-verb agreement: 'people' is plural and requires 'need'; collocation: 'make decisions' is standard.
Many individual likely to ownMany individuals are likely to ownMissing verb 'are' and plural form 'individuals'.
they can't able to affordthey are unable to affordIncorrect phrase; 'can't able' is not grammatically correct; use 'cannot' or 'are unable to'.
as of their finance situtationdue to their financial situationPreposition 'as of' is incorrect for cause; use 'due to' or 'because of'; 'finance' should be 'financial'.
how it change them perpectivelyhow it changes their perspectiveSubject-verb agreement: 'it' is singular and requires 'changes'; 'them' should be 'their' for possession; word choice.
one of my friendone of my friendsAfter 'one of', use plural noun.
few drawbacksa few drawbacks'few' implies almost none; 'a few' implies some.
He have to payHe has to paySubject-verb agreement: 'He' is singular and requires 'has'.
who is in middle classwho is in the middle classArticle 'the' is needed before 'middle class'.
the maintenance have to be donethe maintenance has to be doneSubject-verb agreement: 'maintenance' is singular and requires 'has'.
owner can't afford to pay his repairing chargesowner couldn't afford to pay for his repair costsTense should be past for consistency; 'repairing charges' is awkward, use 'repair costs'.

Vocabulary Improvements

12 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
fast moving lifefast-paced lifeInformal or vague; 'fast-paced' is more precise and academic.
take decisionmake decisionsCollocation error; 'make decisions' is the standard phrase.
can't able to affordare unable to affordIncorrect phrase; use 'cannot afford' or 'are unable to afford' for clarity.
shall discusswill discussMore common in academic writing; 'will' is preferred over 'shall'.
keeping up the time in late hoursstaying up lateIdiomatic expression; 'staying up late' is more natural.
accessoriesfixturesIncorrect for house parts; 'fixtures' is more accurate for installed items.
depositdown paymentWrong collocation for house ownership; 'down payment' is the correct term.
desired amountrequired amountVague; 'required amount' is more precise for loan payments.
practicalfeasibleInformal; 'feasible' is more formal and appropriate.
repairing chargesrepair costsAwkward collocation; 'repair costs' is standard.
efficientbeneficialWrong word choice; efficiency refers to time or resource use, not suitability; 'beneficial' is better.
other chargesother expensesInformal; 'expenses' is more appropriate for financial contexts.

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Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response5
Evaluation
The essay partially addresses the task by listing some advantages and disadvantages of owning a home. However, it focuses almost entirely on owning, with minimal discussion of renting beyond the introduction. The comparison is implied but not explicitly developed, and examples are vague or personal rather than general.
Examples
Advantages mentioned include freedom and financial flexibility, but the example ('one of my friend') is not elaborated. Disadvantages include loan repayments and maintenance costs, with a reference to an article that lacks detail. The conclusion briefly reiterates the point without summarizing both sides.
How to Improve
Ensure a balanced discussion by dedicating separate paragraphs to advantages and disadvantages of both owning and renting. Use clear, relevant examples to support each point. The conclusion should summarize key comparisons.
Coherence & Cohesion5
Evaluation
The essay has a basic structure with introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, coherence is hindered by awkward transitions and underdeveloped ideas. Paragraphs are present but lack clear topic sentences, and cohesion devices are used minimally.
Examples
The first body paragraph jumps from freedom to financial flexibility without smooth linking. Transition words like 'Firstly' and 'However' are used, but connections between sentences are weak (e.g., 'Moreover' introduces a loosely related point). The second paragraph shifts abruptly to drawbacks.
How to Improve
Improve paragraph unity by starting each with a clear topic sentence. Use a wider range of cohesive devices (e.g., 'on the other hand,' 'in contrast') to explicitly compare owning and renting. Ensure ideas flow logically within and between paragraphs.
Lexical Resource5
Evaluation
Vocabulary is limited and often inaccurate, with frequent spelling errors and inappropriate word choices. Some attempts at less common terms are made but with errors that obscure meaning.
Examples
Misspellings: 'independene' (independence), 'perpectively' (perspectively/from a perspective), 'plumping' (plumbing). Inaccurate phrases: 'fast moving life' (fast-paced life), 'can't able to afford' (unable to afford), 'For instant' (For instance). Word choice issues: 'flexible in many ways financially' is awkward.
How to Improve
Expand vocabulary related to housing and finance (e.g., mortgage, tenancy, equity). Use a dictionary or thesaurus to check word meanings and spelling. Practice writing with precise terminology and avoid informal expressions.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy5
Evaluation
Grammatical range is limited, with simple sentence structures predominating. Frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, tense, and article usage affect clarity and accuracy.
Examples
Subject-verb agreement: 'people needs' (people need), 'He have to pay' (He has to pay). Article errors: 'an individual who is in middle class' (in the middle class). Sentence structure: 'This essay shall discuss... how it change them perpectively' (how it changes from their perspective). Run-on sentences and punctuation issues.
How to Improve
Practice using complex sentences (e.g., conditional, relative clauses) with correct grammar. Focus on subject-verb agreement and article usage. Proofread to eliminate frequent errors that impede communication.
πŸ’‘
Tip: Review the Band 9 model answer to see how a high-scoring essay structures arguments, uses advanced vocabulary, and maintains coherence throughout.

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