Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Living Alone Essay: Clarity and Position Feedback
Sample Answer with Feedback

📅 Published Apr 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommended📝 264 words · Band 5.5
This Band 5.5 IELTS essay discusses living alone, showing both sides but lacking a clear argument. Feedback highlights coherence and clarity issues that can be improved for better structure and understanding.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question

Agree/ Disagree (Opinion) · Living Alone · 40 min


In some countries, more and more people are opting to live alone these days than before. Do you think this is a positive or negative development? 

Write at least 250 words.



5.5Band

Overall Band Score

264 words · Agree/ Disagree (Opinion) · AI Evaluated

5.5
Task Response
5
Grammar
5
Vocabulary
5.5
Coherence

Score Breakdown

IELTS Writing Band Scores (1–9)

Overall Band Score
5.5
Task Response
5.5
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
5
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
5
Coherence & Cohesion
5.5

Summary: The essay meets the minimum word count of 264 words and addresses the topic. However, it lacks a consistent position, with the introduction suggesting both positive and negative aspects but the body and conclusion focusing only on negatives. Development is limited, and language errors affect clarity and coherence.

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Student Answer
Real submission • 264 words • Annotated
264 wordsBand 5.5WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

In some parts of the world , nowadays many people prefer to live alone as compared with the past. this is a negative as well as positive approach for different reasons, lets have a look on these approaches and draw my conclusion.

Firstly, young age group lead to this approach" title="Correction: Rising privacy concerns in the young age group lead to this approach">due to rising privacy concerns in young age group leads toward this approach of living alone. excessive use of social media and networking by students have drastic effects on their mental health.. they do not want to interact with people, rather they prefer to sit in their own room and do random scrolling which ultimately aspect of communication" title="Correction: changes their aspect of communication">changed their aspect of communication and appears to be a negative approach. While in the past , students do a lot of physical activities and for this they communicate with many people and become more social these days, ultimately it has a healthier effect on their mental growth.

Secondly, apart from students most people do their shopping and groceries by going to the markets, vendors etc and love to interact with them. But nowadays as internet approaches every household , most people prefer to sit in their house and do online shopping and because of this they have a less interaction with people. This appears to be a useful aspect but involve less communication. communication is an important social tool and help bringing confidence in people to attain different goals and perform in a better way.

So, in my opinion this approach of living alone has a negative effect on people confidence and physical health . People should interact and communicate with others to perform well.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling · Grammar · Vocabulary · Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

1 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
letslet's

Grammatical Mistakes

8 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
due to rising privacy concerns in young age group leads toward this approachRising privacy concerns in the young age group lead to this approachSentence fragment; incorrect subject-verb structure
excessive use of social media and networking by students have drastic effectsexcessive use of social media and networking by students has drastic effectsSubject-verb agreement: 'use' is singular and requires 'has'
changed their aspect of communicationchanges their aspect of communicationTense inconsistency: should be present tense to match surrounding verbs
students do a lot of physical activitiesstudents did a lot of physical activitiesTense error: actions in the past require past tense 'did'
have a less interactionhave less interactionArticle misuse: 'interaction' is uncountable and does not require 'a'
but involve less communicationbut involves less communicationSubject-verb agreement: 'this' is singular and requires 'involves'
and help bringing confidenceand helps bring confidenceVerb form and agreement: 'communication' is singular, so 'helps', and 'bring' should be base form after 'helps'
people confidencepeople's confidencePossessive form needed: use 'people's' to indicate possession

Vocabulary Improvements

8 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
have a look onexamineInformal phrasal verb; use more formal verb in academic writing
young age groupyounger generationVague; 'younger generation' is more precise
random scrollingmindless scrollingInformal; 'mindless' better describes the activity
aspect of communicationcommunication skillsImprecise; 'skills' is more specific than 'aspect'
do a lot of physical activitiesengage in many physical activitiesInformal; 'engage in' is more formal than 'do'
internet approachesinternet access becomes widespreadWrong collocation; 'approaches' is incorrect for technology penetration
sit in their housestay at homeInformal; 'stay at home' is more natural
perform in a better wayperform betterWordy; use adverb directly for conciseness

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Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response5.5
Evaluation
The essay partially responds to the prompt by acknowledging both positive and negative sides but fails to develop a clear argument. The body paragraphs only discuss negative aspects, such as social isolation and reduced communication, without exploring positive developments. The conclusion states a negative view, which is inconsistent with the introduction.
Examples
Introduction says 'this is a negative as well as positive approach,' but no positive points are elaborated. Body paragraphs discuss privacy concerns, social media effects, and online shopping as negatives.
How to Improve
Take a clear position from the start and maintain it throughout. If discussing both sides, ensure balanced development with examples for each. Support arguments with specific details and explanations.
Coherence & Cohesion5.5
Evaluation
There is a basic organizational structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, cohesion is weak due to poor linking between ideas and abrupt shifts in focus. Paragraphing is present but could be more logical.
Examples
First body paragraph jumps from 'privacy concerns' to 'excessive use of social media' without a smooth transition. The use of 'While in the past' is awkwardly placed, and sentences are sometimes run-on.
How to Improve
Use cohesive devices (e.g., however, furthermore, on the other hand) to connect ideas. Ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that supporting sentences flow logically. Proofread to improve sentence boundaries.
Lexical Resource5
Evaluation
Vocabulary is limited and repetitive, with several errors in word choice, spelling, and collocation. Some terms are misused, reducing precision.
Examples
'lets' instead of 'let's'; 'aspect' used incorrectly in 'changed their aspect of communication'; 'help bringing' should be 'helps to bring' or 'helps bring'. Spelling errors like 'groceries' are correct but context is vague.
How to Improve
Expand vocabulary by learning synonyms and topic-specific words. Practice using words in context and check dictionaries for accurate meanings. Avoid repetition by varying language.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy5
Evaluation
Grammatical range is limited to simple structures, with frequent errors in tense, punctuation, and sentence construction. Errors sometimes hinder understanding.
Examples
Missing capitalization: 'this is a negative...' should start with 'This'. Tense inconsistency: 'students do a lot of physical activities' should be 'did' for past comparison. Run-on sentence: 'they do not want to interact with people, rather they prefer...' needs punctuation.
How to Improve
Review verb tenses, especially for comparisons between past and present. Practice constructing complex sentences with correct clauses. Use punctuation (commas, periods) to separate ideas. Proofread for common errors.
💡
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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