Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-27

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 world, information plays important role in scientific research , business and in education as well. Some people believes that as much information as possible should be share freely ,while other argue that certain information is too valuable or important to be made public.

on the other hand ,sharing information can provide many benefits. In scientific research, researchers can learn many things from each other and avoid repeating the same work . This can help new discoveries to be made more quickly. For example, when scientist share medical research, doctors and researchers around the world can use this knowledge to develop better treatments. Similarly, in the academic world, students can gain knowledge from research papers, books, and online resources. In business, sharing information can also encourage cooperative and lead to new ideas.

On the other hands, not all information should be shared freely. some information is highly valuable and may have taken years and a large amount of money to develop. Business, for instance, may have trade secrets, new products design and marketing strategies that gives them advantage over their competitors. In addition, sensitive scientific information may sometimes be misused or create safety and security problems.

In my opinion, information should generally be shared because it encourages the progress and cooperation.

In conclusion, sharing information can benefit society by improving knowledge and encouraging innovation, but some information is too valuable or sensitive to be shared freely . Therefore, information should be shared responsibly rather than without any restriction because it can be misused.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both sides of the argument and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of medical research for the benefits of sharing and trade secrets for the risks. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding business cooperation is mentioned but not fully explored. The position is clear throughout, but the conclusion could be more robust to better synthesize the arguments presented. Overall, it meets the requirements for a Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task, though some points are slightly under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each viewpoint, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'on the other hand', 'for example', and 'in addition', which help guide the reader. However, there are some mechanical issues with the use of these devices, such as the awkward transition 'On the other hands' (plural error) and the lack of a clear topic sentence for the first body paragraph. While the overall progression is coherent, the referencing and linking could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'trade secrets', 'innovation', and 'sensitive scientific information'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'encourage cooperative' (should be 'encourage cooperation') and 'new products design' (should be 'new product designs'). The range is sufficient for the task, but the lack of more precise or sophisticated vocabulary keeps this in the Band 6.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Some people believes', 'scientist share' instead of 'scientists share') and missing articles ('plays important role'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage to ensure a higher level of accuracy.

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