Band 5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay on Living Alone: Coherence Issues
Sample Answer with Feedback

📅 Published May 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommended📝 263 words · Band 5
This Band 5 IELTS essay discusses the negative aspects of living alone, highlighting issues of coherence and lack of structured arguments. While it offers a personal perspective, the essay struggles with logical progression and depth. Understanding these feedback points can help improve your writing skills for the IELTS exam.

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.



5Band

Overall Band Score

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

5
Task Response
4.5
Grammar
5.5
Vocabulary
5
Coherence

Score Breakdown

IELTS Writing Band Scores (1–9)

Overall Band Score
5
Task Response
5
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
4.5
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
5.5
Coherence & Cohesion
5

Summary: The essay provides a personal view on why living alone is considered a negative development, primarily focusing on emotional and social aspects. While the word count meets the requirement, the essay lacks a balanced analysis and structured argumentation. The points are not well-developed and rely too heavily on personal experience without broader exploration.

Now write your own — and see how your verdict holds up.

Submit your Living Alone essay and receive AI scores across Task Response, Coherence, Lexical Resource, and Grammar — plus a Band 9 model answer for your exact question.

Student Answer
Real submission • 263 words • Annotated
263 wordsBand 5WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

i believe that living alone is indeed a negative development as we youngster are not fully aware of everything we want in life. we tend to make impulsive decisions as we just started living off alone. living alone not only makes your lonely or feel alone it slowly starts making you narrow minded. you slowly start drifting away from your family and friends you become alone minded which leads to depression and many other things. your hard days" title="Correction: on your hard days">in your hard days you wont have anyone next to you who listens to your problem, you are left alone in your apartment. even when you fall ill you wont have anyone looking after you, you wont have your mum cooking you hot meals like she used to when you would end up sick at your own house.
Theres a vast difference between living alone and not living alone. You wont have all the things you need to live alone especially if you came from a joint family. it'd be really hard for you cope and start living alone. As for me i belong from a joint family myself, i grew up in a big house where my cousins, aunts, uncle, grandma and grandma lived together. To be honest ive never really lived off alone so the thought of me even living alone haunts me. the fact that i wont hear me and my sibling fighting who goes to shower first or who eats the last piece of toast. even if i do end up living alone i will make sure to visit my family in the weekends.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling · Grammar · Vocabulary · Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

3 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
youryou're
TheresThere's
youryou're

Grammatical Mistakes

11 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
we youngster arewe youngsters areSubject-verb agreement: 'youngster' should be plural to match 'we'
makes your lonely or feel alonemakes you lonely or feel alonePronoun error: 'your' is incorrect and should be 'you'
you become alone mindedyou become solitary-mindedIncorrect collocation: 'alone minded' is not a standard phrase
in your hard dayson your hard daysIncorrect preposition: 'on' is the correct preposition to use with 'days'
iveI'veCapitalization error: 'I' should always be capitalized
wontwon'tContraction error: 'won't' requires an apostrophe
i belong from a joint familyI belong to a joint familyIncorrect preposition: 'belong to' is the correct usage
my cousin, aunts, uncle, grandma and grandma livedmy cousins, aunts, uncles, grandpa and grandma livedPluralization error: each noun needs to be plural
I wont haveI won't haveContraction error: 'won't' requires an apostrophe
for you copefor you to copeInfinitive 'to' is needed with the verb 'cope'
me and my siblingmy siblings and IPronoun order: 'my siblings and I' is the correct subject pronoun order

Vocabulary Improvements

4 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
living off aloneliving aloneIncorrect usage: 'living off' is unnecessary here; 'living alone' is precise
become alone mindedbecome isolatedMore precise vocabulary: 'isolated' is a more accurate description
hard daysdifficult daysMore precise vocabulary: 'difficult' provides a clearer understanding
it'dit wouldInformal contraction: 'it would' is more appropriate in formal writing

Ready to practise? Get instant AI feedback on your verdict.

Submit your Living Alone essay and receive AI scores across all four IELTS criteria — with specific feedback on whether your solutions are specific, realistic, and matched to your problems.

Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response5
Evaluation
The essay addresses the task by arguing that living alone is negative, but lacks depth and a balanced perspective.
Examples
The writer focuses on feelings of loneliness and missing familial support when ill.
How to Improve
To improve, the writer should present more developed arguments with examples and consider potential positive aspects to provide a balanced view.
Coherence & Cohesion5
Evaluation
The essay has basic coherence but lacks clear structure and logical progression of ideas.
Examples
There are abrupt transitions and the paragraphs do not link well together.
How to Improve
Use clear topic sentences and ensure each paragraph logically follows from the previous one. Clear linkage words or phrases could help connect ideas.
Lexical Resource5.5
Evaluation
The vocabulary used is simple and repetitive, with limited range.
Examples
Words like 'alone', 'family', and 'living' are repeatedly used without variation.
How to Improve
Incorporate a wider range of vocabulary and synonyms to avoid repetition and enhance expression.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy4.5
Evaluation
The essay demonstrates frequent grammatical errors and informal language use.
Examples
Issues include incorrect verb forms ('make your lonely'), and informal tone ('as for me', 'ive').
How to Improve
Focus on using correct grammar, paying attention to verb forms, sentence structure, and formal language register.
💡
Tip: Review the Band 9 model answer to see how a high-scoring essay structures arguments, uses advanced vocabulary, and maintains coherence throughout.

RELATED ESSAYS

01
Leisure & Lifestyle📝 272 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
Some people believe that online grocery shopping is more convenient and efficient than visiting physical stores. Others argue that traditional shopping offers better quality control and a more personal experience.Do you agree or disagree?  Write at least 250 words.
It is believed by some individuals that shopping for groceries online is comparatively easier and more efficient as compared to shopping in physical stores. I d...
02
Travel📝 262 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
People nowadays prefer to have adventurous and thrilling activities on their holidays, rather than relaxing in a distant place. Do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.
There is a lot of debate between citizen about people who going out on holidays and made some adventuous rather than getting some rest in their homes. while com...
03
Urban Planning📝 263 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
Relocating big businesses and industries and their workers from urban areas to rural areas could be a good solution for the issues of traffic congestion and housing in major cities. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?Write at least 250 words.
Many people used to say that moving geant organistion and firms with their employees far the cities can resolve problems with trafic and accomodation in large t...
04
Travel📝 261 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
People nowadays prefer to have adventurous and thrilling activities on their holidays, rather than relaxing in a distant place. Do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.
As we move further into the twenty-first century, it has been observed that due to modernisation and globalisation travelling has become more popular trend in r...
05
Living Alone📝 251 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
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.
It is often observed in several nations that people are choosing to live in solitude, as compared to the people before. I belived that this a positive developme...