Band 5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay on Owning vs Renting: Feedback on Clarity and Examples
Sample Answer with Feedback

πŸ“… Published Jan 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommendedπŸ“ 243 words Β· Band 5
This Band 5 IELTS essay examines the advantages and disadvantages of owning a house compared to renting. While it highlights key points like cost savings and social status, it lacks depth in examples and has several grammatical issues that hinder clarity. Improve your own essays by learning from this evaluation.

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

243 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 addresses the topic but is under the required word count (243 vs. 250 words). Ideas are presented but lack depth and development. There are issues with grammar, vocabulary, and coherence.

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Student Answer
Real submission β€’ 243 words β€’ Annotated
243 wordsβ€’Band 5β€’WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

These days, everyone wants to own a house due to cultural tradition. The choice between owning and renting a house involves a careful consideration of several factors that can affect one's life wither in a good way or bad. This essay discuss some pros and cons of this trend.
To begin with, there are several advantages of owning a house, but two of them are very important. First one is cost saving, due to no rent, and in rented house we have to pay the monthly rent. For example, an employee whose salary is about 30k and his rent is 20k, it means more than half of the amount goes to rent. Therefore, owing a house is much better than renting. Secondly, the respect is much greater for those who owned a house. For example, many people prefer those neighbour who owned a house rather than those who live in rented house.
On the other hand, there are two main disadvantages of owning a house. One is that huge amount for insurance" title="Correction: they have to pay a huge amount for insurance">they have to pay huge amount of insurance because of some policies made by government. For example, Pakistan, every house owner" title="Correction: in Pakistan, every house owner">in pakistan every house owner has to pay fees as a insurance claim. Another is that take of house, own flat, they have to take care of everything" title="Correction: in their own flat, they have to take care of everything">in own flat they have to care everything because it was there own.

In conclusion, there are many benefits and cons of owning a house, I believe advantages are far more than disadvantages. cost saving" title="Correction: One of them is cost saving">one of them is cost saving.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling Β· Grammar Β· Vocabulary Β· Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

4 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
witherwhether
owingowning
pakistanPakistan
theretheir

Grammatical Mistakes

18 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
This essay discussThis essay discussesSubject-verb agreement: 'essay' is singular, so verb should be 'discusses'.
affect one's life wither in a good way or badaffect one's life whether in a good or bad way'Wither' is incorrect; 'whether' is the correct word for presenting alternatives. Phrase structure improved.
First one is cost savingThe first one is cost savingsArticle missing: 'The' should precede 'first one'. 'Cost saving' is better as 'cost savings'.
in rented housein a rented houseArticle missing: 'a' before 'rented house'.
an employee whose salary is about 30k and his rent is 20k, it means more than half of the amount goes to rentFor example, an employee with a salary of about 30k pays 20k in rent, meaning that more than half of their income goes to rent.Run-on sentence and pronoun agreement. Improved structure for clarity.
Therefore, owing a houseTherefore, owning a house'Owing' is a misspelling of 'owning' in this context.
for those who owned a housefor those who own a houseTense inconsistency: Use present tense 'own' to match the present discussion.
prefer those neighbour who owned a houseprefer those neighbours who own a house'Neighbour' should be plural 'neighbours' to match 'those', and 'owned' should be 'own' for present tense.
live in rented houselive in a rented houseArticle missing: 'a' before 'rented house'.
they have to pay huge amount of insurancethey have to pay a huge amount for insuranceArticle missing: 'a' before 'huge amount'. 'For insurance' is more appropriate than 'of insurance'.
policies made by governmentpolicies made by the governmentArticle missing: 'the' before 'government'.
in pakistan every house ownerin Pakistan, every house ownerCapitalization: 'Pakistan' should be capitalized. Comma added for clarity.
as a insurance claimas an insurance premium'A' should be 'an' before 'insurance'. 'Claim' is incorrect; 'premium' is the term for regular payments.
Another is that take of houseAnother is the upkeep of the houseGrammatically incorrect phrase. 'Take of house' should be 'upkeep' or 'maintenance'.
in own flat they have to care everythingin their own flat, they have to take care of everythingArticle missing: 'their' before 'own flat'. 'Care' should be 'take care of' for correct verb phrase.
because it was there ownbecause it is their own'Was' should be 'is' for present tense, and 'there' should be 'their'.
I believe advantages are far more than disadvantagesI believe that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantagesRun-on sentence and improved phrasing for academic tone.
one of them is cost savingOne of them is cost savingCapitalization: 'one' should be capitalized to start the sentence.

Vocabulary Improvements

7 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
cost savingcost savings'Cost saving' is informal; 'cost savings' is a more standard term for financial benefits.
respectsocial status'Respect' is vague; 'social status' is more precise in this context.
huge amounta substantial amount'Huge' is informal; 'substantial' is more academic.
take of housemaintenance'Take of house' is incorrect and vague; 'maintenance' is the correct term for the work needed to keep a house in good condition.
care everythingmaintain everything'Care' is too informal and incorrect here; 'maintain' is more appropriate for responsibility over upkeep.
benefits and consadvantages and disadvantages'Cons' is informal; 'disadvantages' is the formal counterpart to 'advantages'.
own flattheir own home'Flat' is region-specific; 'home' is more universal in academic writing.

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Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response5
Evaluation
The response covers the advantages and disadvantages of owning versus renting, but the development is superficial. Examples are provided but not fully explained, and the essay is slightly under the word count, indicating incomplete task fulfillment.
Examples
Advantages like cost saving and respect are mentioned, but the explanation is brief. The example of an employee spending half their salary on rent is not elaborated to show long-term implications.
How to Improve
Expand on each point with more detailed reasoning and consequences. Ensure the essay meets the word count by discussing additional factors, such as financial stability, flexibility, or investment aspects.
Coherence & Cohesion5
Evaluation
The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, the flow between ideas is choppy, and cohesive devices are limited.
Examples
Transitions like 'To begin with' and 'On the other hand' are used, but within paragraphs, sentences are not smoothly connected. The conclusion abruptly restates the introduction.
How to Improve
Use a wider range of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'in contrast') to improve paragraph cohesion. Ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and supporting details that logically follow.
Lexical Resource5
Evaluation
Vocabulary is repetitive and sometimes inaccurate, with errors in word choice and spelling.
Examples
Misspellings like 'wither' for 'whether', 'owing' for 'owning', and 'there' for 'their'. Phrases such as 'take of house' instead of 'maintenance of the house' show limited range.
How to Improve
Incorporate more precise vocabulary related to housing (e.g., 'mortgage', 'tenancy', 'upkeep'). Use a thesaurus to find synonyms and avoid repetition.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy5
Evaluation
There are frequent grammatical errors that affect clarity, including subject-verb agreement, tense issues, and sentence fragments.
Examples
Incorrect verb form: 'This essay discuss' should be 'discusses'. Fragment: 'Another is that take of house' should be 'Another is the maintenance of the house.'
How to Improve
Practice using complex sentences with correct clauses. Review grammar rules for subject-verb agreement and prepositions. Proofread to eliminate errors.
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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