Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-30
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In some countries, more and more people are hiring a personal fitness trainer, rather than playing sports or doing exercise classes. What are the reasons for this? Is this a positive or a negative development?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Nowadays, many people are hiring personal fitness trainers to get fitter and healthier instead of playing sports and doing exercise classes. According to my perspective, I think this is a negative development for individuals rather than having the positive growth.
To start with, employing personal trainers reduces the popularity of sports. Many sports are indirectly associated with health and physical activity.
For instance, playing football helps an individual to do running without any advise of trainer. This supports the stamina of an athlete, where there is no need for trainers to develop stamina.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response is significantly under-length at only 93 words, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While you state a clear position regarding the negative nature of the trend, the ideas are severely underdeveloped. You mention that hiring trainers reduces the popularity of sports, but you do not provide sufficient reasoning or examples to support this claim. To improve, you must expand on your arguments by exploring multiple reasons for the trend and providing detailed, relevant examples for both parts of the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response shows some basic logical organization, with an introduction and a supporting paragraph. However, the progression is limited due to the brevity of the text. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To start with' and 'For instance', but the overall structure is too thin to demonstrate a range of cohesive features. To achieve a higher band, you need to develop your ideas into full paragraphs with clear topic sentences and a wider variety of linking words to connect your arguments logically.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the limited content provided, but it lacks the range and precision required for a higher score. Phrases like 'get fitter and healthier' and 'develop stamina' are functional but basic. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations. To improve, focus on incorporating more academic vocabulary related to health, fitness, and societal trends, and ensure you use words that convey your meaning with greater precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'According to my perspective, I think...' and 'Many sports are indirectly associated with health...'. While there are some grammatical errors, such as 'without any advise of trainer' (should be 'advice from a trainer'), the meaning remains clear. The range of structures is limited by the short length of the essay. To improve, practice using a wider variety of complex sentence forms, such as conditional clauses or passive voice, while maintaining grammatical accuracy.
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