Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-17

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)

The debate on the idea that whether information related to scientific research, business and academic world should be shared or not is rather a controversial topic.

Different people have different opinions on it and everyone agrees to there opinion without looking into the different opinion to solve the issue from a different point of view. The sharing of information that is related to scientific innovation, business studies or academic is a good thing which can provide so many benefits to people working and studying in that field. It can help many people achieve their goals and maybe a future ambition. Information sharing can help in technological advancement and innovation. It helps individuals to seek knowledge and learn.

But excess of anything may have negative or harmful impacts. Information sharing is good but at one point there is information which is too important to be shared openly. Especially in these fields sharing of information which is far more crucial should not be shared like in scientific research too much access to data can leads to copies or robbing of thesis which maybe is lifetime hard work of someone. In business, it might can lead towards cybercrime, huge losses or falling of stock markets. Academically, there might be some important information or answers related to geography, history or religion which can make misunderstandings among people.

In conclusion, Information sharing is good but excess of it can have severe consequences so data should be only shared under protocols and depending on its importance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention benefits like 'technological advancement' and risks like 'cybercrime', these points are not fully extended or supported with concrete examples. The response is quite brief, which limits your ability to explore the nuances of the prompt. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph provides a specific example or a more detailed explanation of how the information sharing (or lack thereof) impacts the respective fields. Your position is clear, but the overall depth of analysis needs to be increased to reach higher bands.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For instance, you rely heavily on simple transitions like 'But' and 'In conclusion'. The flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to show relationships between ideas more effectively. Additionally, some sentences are slightly disjointed, such as the opening sentence which is grammatically awkward and impacts the overall flow. Improving the variety of your cohesive devices will help your ideas progress more smoothly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use some repetitive phrasing, such as 'information sharing' and 'good thing'. There are also some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'robbing of thesis' instead of 'plagiarism' or 'theft of intellectual property'. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to research and business, and avoid using overly simple descriptors like 'good' or 'bad'. Expanding your range of synonyms will make your writing more engaging and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'the idea that whether information... should be shared or not is rather a controversial topic' is wordy and awkward. You also have errors in subject-verb agreement, such as 'data can leads to' and 'it might can lead'. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction often feels clunky. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence patterns and proofreading for common errors like modal verb usage and pluralization.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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