In some countries, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people. Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?
Sample Response
People in some countries now consider owning a home to be more important than renting one. This essay will discuss the underlying reasons for this preference and elaborate on why it is a negative development.
There are two main reasons for people’s preference for home ownership. First, for some people, owning a house or an apartment means that they do not have to waste time on searching for accommodationaccommodation hunting when a rental contract expires. Therefore, they can just focus on advancing their careers or other prioritiesfocus on their career goals or other important things, such as getting marriedsuch as marriage. Second, nowadays many people buy a home with a mortgage, and so they know the exact amount of money they owe and also the regular repayment amountthe regular amount they have to pay. This allows people to make a clear long-term financial planmake a clear long-term financial plan for the future. However, this is not the case when they rent a home because they are subject to changes to the rent imposed by landlordschanges in the rental price made by landlords.
The trend that many people value home ownership over rented accommodation is negative for the following reasonsnegative due to the following reasons. Most houses or apartments have low liquidity, which means they cannot be easily exchanged for cash. As a result, people who are still repayingredeeming their mortgages may not be able to spend money on other majorbig investments.
In addition, while a tenant can easily terminate a rental contract and find a new place if they are not satisfied with their current accommodation, it is very difficult for home owners to do the same. In other words, once a person makes an unwise decision and buys a home that they later regret, they are usually left with only two options: either rent out the homemake the home available for rent or accept living in a place they are not happy with.
In conclusion, people in some countries now prefer to buy their homes because they value the stability that owning a home providesvalue stability that owning a home provides and want to have clear future plans. However, unless the decision is considered thoroughlyunless thorough considerations are made, home owners may have to face undesirable outcomes from such a decision.
TR: 7.0 CC: 8.0 LR: 8.0 GRA: 9.0 Overall: 8.0
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is strongest in its clear position, controlled progression, and precise explanation of how ownership can offer stability while creating financial and practical constraints. Its main limitation is that the negative case is somewhat less fully developed than the reasons for ownership, particularly the liquidity point, which remains fairly general. The highest-priority improvement is to extend each drawback with a concrete consequence or example and make the conclusion state the negative judgement more decisively.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both questions are answered with a clear negative position and relevant reasons, although some drawbacks are not fully extended.
Develop the liquidity drawback with a specific real-world consequence and restate the negative evaluation unequivocally in the conclusion.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through well-focused paragraphs, and cohesive devices guide the reader without drawing undue attention.
Strengthen the link between the two drawback paragraphs so that they read as one cumulative case against prioritising ownership.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally precise, with effective financial and housing terms despite a few awkward collocations.
Replace less natural combinations such as redeeming mortgages with idiomatic alternatives such as repaying mortgages.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex structures is used accurately, with only occasional minor awkwardness that does not impede meaning.
Refine article use and compressed passive phrasing, especially in expressions such as unless thorough consideration is given.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
In some countries, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people. Why is this the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.