Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-11
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)
In today's knowledge- based world,there debate over whether information should be openly shared or kept private. While some argue that open access benefits progress others feel certain data must be protected. I believe that in this case the balance is needed.
In this essay, Open sharing speeds of discoveries. About the medical or any diseases. For Example, COVID-19 is the dangerous disease and slowly spread all over the world. But the scientist has openly shared the information and research the vaccine, worldwide scientist shared the all data and than develop the vaccine who save the millions of life. Therefore, In academia, free access to journals and papers allows students and researchers in developing countries to learn and contribute. For instance, the other countries universities or colleges announce the free education system for the other country students that information is develop the all social media than students desires are fulfil and about the information fulfil their studies and desires.
In the another hand, Some information should be kept in private. It should not be shared openly. For Example, companies and investors who invest the million of rupees in their companies, if they share all formulas or strategies freely, their competitor copy them. For instance, the formula of COCA-COLA is still kept secrete.
In my perspective, i believe that information should be shared, if it benefits public good, such as medical research and education. However, some information related to national security, patent, or personal data must be protected by laws. A balance between openness and protection is the best approach.
In conclusion, while sharing information promotes innovation and learning, protecting valuable or sensitive data is also necessary. Therefore, the decision should depend on the purpose and impact of the informations.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 protection, while providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the COVID-19 vaccine example and the Coca-Cola trade secret. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat uneven. The paragraph regarding academic journals is slightly disjointed and lacks clarity in its explanation of how social media facilitates education. While the position is clear throughout, the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. Overall, the response meets the requirements of the task effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In this essay', 'For instance', and 'In the another hand', though some of these are used mechanically or incorrectly (e.g., 'In the another hand' should be 'On the other hand'). The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the discussion of medical research and academic journals is abrupt. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the link between social media and student desires is difficult to follow. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'innovation', 'strategies', and 'patent'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'speeds of discoveries' instead of 'speeds up discoveries' and 'kept secrete' instead of 'kept secret'. Additionally, the use of 'informations' is incorrect as it is an uncountable noun. While these errors do not impede communication, they demonstrate a limited control over more sophisticated lexical items, keeping the score in the 6.0 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('the scientist has openly shared', 'information is develop') and article usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing spaces after commas and incorrect capitalization. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear, and the errors do not significantly impede the reader's understanding. To improve, the writer should focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips like verb tense consistency and pluralization.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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