Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-20

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 researchers believe that it is beneficial to provide information in scientific research and articles. While others think that this knowledge is too valuable to be shared for free. In my opinion, people should pay for this information because researchers are putting a huge effort and a considerable amount of time on it just to give accurate and helpful resources to work or study.

For those who suggest that sharing information with people freely is good, they this informative research could help a lot of students on their studies. For example, a lot of students need articles and books to do their presentations and thesis and some of them cannot afford all the resource they need for their project, so the free resources are the best choice for them to complete their work.

As for the others who think that it would be better if people pay for the information because the researchers put their time and effort to provide accurate data and look after results with demonstrations. So there must be a revenue for all the hard-work they do during their research period. For example some researchers spend years and years just to write about a specific subject in science or business which is a long period comparing to what they ask in back. However, these research which take too long must have some money in back.

To conclude, I believe that it is completely important to share some informative resources with people with a certain price because it is too valuable and helpful to be shared for free.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While the benefits of free access are mentioned, the explanation is brief. Similarly, the argument for paid access focuses heavily on the financial aspect but lacks depth regarding the broader implications for scientific progress or business innovation. The conclusion is clear, but the overall development of the arguments remains at a basic level, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, you should expand on your examples and provide more nuanced reasoning for why information should or should not be restricted.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices, such as 'For example', 'As for the others', and 'To conclude'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions are awkward, such as 'which is a long period comparing to what they ask in back'. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence connects naturally to the previous one would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'a lot of' and 'good'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'look after results' and 'money in back', which are not standard English. While the meaning is clear, the lack of sophisticated or topic-specific vocabulary limits the score. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to research, intellectual property, and economic compensation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'While others think' (a sentence fragment), 'they this informative research' (missing verb), and 'these research which take' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence structure is often repetitive. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct sentence construction, and ensuring that every sentence has a clear subject and a finite verb.

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