Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-12
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Write about the following topic: Some people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in scientific research, business and the academic world. Others believe that some information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Some people arguee that sharing a lot of information in scientific research, business and academic enviroment is necessary. Others think that information is too valuable to shared without restriction.
The people who think in sharing the scientific research and academic papers freely believes in the power of knowledge; those people argue that information should be accesible and free for everyone, even if the person is no related with the field. The idea of having no limitation to most recent scientific papers is important in the academic environment, because the main principle of science is sharing and creating a community where the knowloge is accesible. For example, in academics is quite normal to colaborate with another scientific department of group; where as a scientics you can share your research field and get a feedback from others scientist.
On the other hand, having free access to information can be a dangerous tool. People who are no relate with the research field or do not have the enough knowledge to understand it can create a misinformation. Also, most of the information shared it is no veridical, and it can also created misunderstanding of the subject. A good example can be seen, when the NASA shared a free paper about a comete that changed it's direction, that new generate a lot of confusion around the society. Later, a scientist from the NASA explained the paper, and it was just a simple metric that happens in astrophysics most of the time. Having free access to the knowledge that most of the people interpretation can be a power tool of misunderstanding.
In my opinion, people should have free access to the information. In my experience in academia and college, I remember having a lot of difficulties trying to access to scientific research that cost a lo of money. Those papers are not free most of the time, and a a Physics student I was no able to pay for read them. Sharing the knowledge the people who truly need can be beneficial for the innovation in any scientifc area.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address both views and state a clear preference for open access in the final paragraph. The case for sharing is supported with the value of scientific collaboration and your experience as a physics student unable to afford papers. You also explain a possible risk through public misunderstanding of a NASA paper. These are relevant points, but some are less fully developed than others: the business aspect in the prompt is not discussed, and the NASA example is difficult to assess because the paper and the resulting confusion are described only generally. To strengthen the response, cover business explicitly and explain more precisely how restrictions or open access affect each field, while developing the examples with clearer details and links to your position.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph for each opposing view, and a concluding opinion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “In my opinion” help readers follow the argument, and the examples are placed alongside the points they support. However, some connections within paragraphs are less clear or repetitive. The second-view paragraph moves from lack of expertise to inaccurate information and then to the NASA example without clearly distinguishing these risks. Phrases such as “those people” and “that new” also make reference difficult to follow. Improve progression by giving each paragraph a clear sequence—claim, explanation, example, and link back—and use more precise referencing rather than repeating broad terms such as “information” and “knowledge.”
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “scientific research,” “academic papers,” “collaborate,” “misinformation,” and “innovation,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “free access” and “scientific department.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning less precise: “knowloge,” “accesible,” and “scientifc” are misspelled, while “a misinformation” and “a power tool of misunderstanding” are unnatural choices. Some wording is also repetitive, particularly “information,” “knowledge,” and “free.” Build accuracy by checking spelling and collocations, and use more precise alternatives such as “misleading information,” “public misunderstanding,” or “open access to research” where appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt a mix of simple and complex forms, including a relative clause in “where the main principle of science is sharing” and conditional phrasing in “even if the person is no related with the field.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the overall meaning can usually be followed. However, some errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction remain. For example, “people … believes” should use a plural verb, “information is too valuable to shared” needs a passive form, and “most of the information shared it is no veridical” has an unclear structure. Review subject–verb agreement and verb patterns, and simplify sentences when needed. More consistently accurate complex sentences would make the argument easier to read.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.