This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay from IELTS Cambridge 15 on the topic of owning a home rather than renting one.
IELTS Writing Task 2: Owning or Renting a Home
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?
Sample answer:
Many people today value owning their own home over renting. In my opinion, this is part of a natural human desire for security and prestige but it contains risks.
The source of this desire is a need for stability and respect. An individual who does not own their own home must pay rent to a landlord. This hangs over them and necessitates maintaining a job with a steady salary and balancing rent against other living expenses. Once a person owns their own home, they are then able to spend their money more freely and consider different employment without the fear of becoming homeless. Moreover, having a home lends an air of respectability. Only the wealthy are able buy a house and most homeowners take pride in the size and condition of their home as a sign of their social standing.
Nonetheless, home ownership is a negative trend as it forces unrealistic expectations on millions. Most people live in city apartments with rents and are not capable of buying a house. The pressure to buy one is likely to engender feelings of inadequacy and resentment towards the upper classes. This famously fueled the sub-prime mortgage scandals of the early 2000s in the United States when millions borrowed more than they could afford to buy homes, then defaulted on their payments and lost a lifetime of investment. Had these same people opted to rent, they would have saved more money and could have invested in other forms of capital such as the stock market.
In conclusion, owning a home is innately desirable but in the end causes more harm than good due to the pressure it places on individuals. Many people have learned this lesson and home ownership may begin to decline in the future.
Owning or Renting a Home : Vocabulary
- renting paying monthly for
- part of a piece of
- natural human desire inherent to what people want
- security safety
- prestige respect/admiration
- contains risks is dangerous
- stability secure
- respect admiration
- pay rent give monthly money for
- hangs over them oppresses them
- necessitates maintaining a job must stay employed
- steady salary consistent money each month
- balancing moderating
- living expenses money spent on food, travel, entertainment, etc.
- spend their money more freely buy whatever they want
- consider think about
- homeless living on the streets
- lends an air of respectability makes one seem important
- homeowners people who have a house
- pride self-esteem
- condition how things are
- sign signal, representation
- social standing how others view you
- forces unrealistic expectations makes people try to live up an image
- city apartments apartment blocks
- not capable can’t
- engender feelings make them feel
- inadequacy feeling not good enough
- resentment antipathy towards
- upper classes rich people
- famously fueled notoriously was the source of
- sub-prime mortgage scandals people not being able to pay for their homes
- early 2000s 2000-2010
- borrowed took money they have to pay back later
- afford be able to buy
- defaulted were not able to pay back
- lifetime of investment entire life of putting money into
- invested putting money into
- capital money
- stock market Wall Street, trading companies publicly
- innately desirable naturally want
- in the end finally
- more harm than good hurts more than helps
- decline decrease
