Many countries around the world have seen a trend towards . This essay will consider why this is the case, and whether or not this is beneficial. The first reason why people wish to buy their own home them with a sense of stability. Rental contracts are temporary agreements, often just between 6 and 12 months in duration, at the end of which you may have to leave and find alternative accommodation. Owning a home means you get to live there permanently. The second reason, and one which has grown in importance in recent years, is that owning your own home is seen as an investment. Property prices generally rise, so real estate can be a safe place to invest your surplus income. House prices in the UK, for example, rise by around whereas interest on bank deposits is close to zero. For individuals, then, there seem to be to owning your home. But overall, I feel there are considerable downsides, both for individuals and for society as a whole. For most people, buying property requires taking out a mortgage, typically , and if at any time during this period borrowers are unable to maintain mortgage payments, they risk losing their property. For society as a whole there are also negatives. The demand for buying property leads to house price inflation, which can mean people on low incomes, such as young people, can find it impossible to buy their own home, forcing them to rent. In conclusion, a desire for stability and seeing a return on your investments are key reasons behind the trend towards buying property, but despite these benefits, there are serious problems.
Sample response & feedback
Owning a Home Rather Than Renting
Question
In some countries, owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people. Why might this be the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative situation? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Annotated response
10 correction notes
Overall assessment
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response answers both questions through a clearly signposted argument, explaining security and investment motives before presenting a negative overall evaluation. Topic vocabulary and complex sentences are generally effective. Its main limitations are overconfident claims about permanent residence and financial returns, alongside a price-inflation argument whose supply conditions remain implicit. Shifts into direct address also reduce consistency of viewpoint.
IELTS criteria
How each score was decided
TR Task Response
7.0The response addresses both parts of the task directly, presents a clear position that the trend is negative despite individual benefits, and develops each reason with relevant explanation and examples.
CC Coherence and Cohesion
7.0The reasons for ownership lead clearly into the overall negative evaluation and conclusion. Signposts such as “The second reason”, “But overall” and “In conclusion” help the reader follow this sequence.
LR Lexical Resource
7.0A good range of topic-specific vocabulary is used, including "surplus income", "mortgage payments" and "house price inflation". Minor wordiness appears in "clear positive benefits" and "for a length of 25 years".
GRA Grammatical Range and Accuracy
7.0Complex sentences, including relative and conditional clauses, are generally well controlled. The reason clause can be made more economical, while shifts into "you" affect consistency of viewpoint rather than grammatical agreement.