Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-06

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 6.0)

It is undeniable that, people have different opinions about whether information related to scientific research, business, and education should be shared openly or kept confident. In this regards, this essay will discuss both viewpoints before explaining why I believe that knowledge should generally be shared, although sensitive information should remain private. This essay will not only outline my point of view but will also fragment with a logical conclusion.

To commence with, sharing information freely can bring many benefits to society. Firstly, in scientific research, open access to information allows researches from different countries to work together and develop new technologies or medicines more quickly. Secondly, students and teachers can improve the quality of education by using research papers and educational resources that are available online. To elaborate, sharing knowledge encourages innovation, improves learning opportunities, and helps solve global problems more efficiently. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists around the world shared research findings, which helped speed up the development of vaccines.

Moreover, some information should not be shared because it is valuable or sensitive. Business spend a great deal of time and money developing new products, and sharing the ideas freely could allow competitors to copy them. To illustrate, governments must keep certain information confidential to protect national security and public safety. Furthermore, some scientific research could be misused if it fell into the wrong hands. Therefore, keeping sensitive information private is necessary to protect both organizations and society.

In conclusion, although sharing information can promote scientific progress, education, and international cooperation. I believe that confidential business information, national security data, and potentially dangerous research should remain protected. A balanced approach that encourages openness while safeguarding sensitive information is the best solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the benefits of open information and the necessity of confidentiality. You clearly state your position in the introduction and maintain it throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the COVID-19 vaccine development and the protection of business intellectual property. To reach a higher band, ensure that your conclusion does not merely repeat the prompt but synthesizes your arguments more deeply. The essay is well-structured and fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Moreover', and 'To illustrate' to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with sentence-level cohesion, such as the sentence fragment in the conclusion: 'although sharing information can promote scientific progress, education, and international cooperation.' This is a dependent clause and should be connected to the following sentence. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the flow is generally smooth.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'international cooperation', 'intellectual property' (implied), and 'safeguarding sensitive information' are used appropriately. There are some minor word-choice errors, such as 'kept confident' instead of 'kept confidential' and 'fragment with a logical conclusion', which is an awkward phrasing. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, incorporating more sophisticated collocations or less common academic terms would help elevate the score to the next level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and the meaning is consistently clear. However, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'Business spend' (should be 'Businesses spend') and the aforementioned sentence fragment in the final paragraph. Additionally, 'researches' is used as a plural noun for people, whereas 'researchers' is the correct term. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading of subject-verb agreement and sentence boundaries to achieve a higher band.

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.