Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-30

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 people believe that it is good to share as much information as possible in scientific research, business and the academic world because when they share it, they get other people's opinions on it. Their opinions helps them to validate the work and their findings. Sometimes when you share your work, you get ideas from others that you wouldn't come up on your own.

While others believe that some information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely. This is so because when you share it, it becomes available for everyone and it no longer remains your research as you have passed it to others. It's public now. Anyone can use it and modify it too for their own use and as per their own requirements.

Now, if we talk about whether or not we should share it openly and freely. It entirely depends on the type of information and research. Like if you are working on something, for which you need other people's opinions, their ideas, and you want their validation then it is okay to share it with people. But, if the information is related to something that should be kept private, then you should not share it openly with other people. If you still want to or needed to discuss it with someone, you should do it with some of your personal, inside team members who already know about your project and what you are working on. Lesser the people know, the better.

So to conclude we can say, the factor that decides whether the information should be shared or not is the type of information that is being shared.

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 you mention the benefits of collaboration and the risks of intellectual property loss, the arguments remain at a surface level. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples—for instance, mentioning how patent laws protect scientific research or how open-source software benefits global innovation. The conclusion is present but could be more robust by summarising the main points rather than just restating the prompt's premise.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your logic. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and basic. Phrases like 'Now, if we talk about' and 'Like if you are' are too informal for an academic essay. The transition between paragraphs could be smoother; for example, the second paragraph starts with 'While others believe', which is a sentence fragment. Using more sophisticated linking words such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'conversely' would improve the flow and logical progression of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on simple, repetitive language such as 'good', 'share', and 'things'. There is an attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but it is not consistently applied. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to research and business, such as 'intellectual property', 'collaborative innovation', or 'proprietary information', rather than relying on general, everyday phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'Their opinions helps' (subject-verb agreement) and 'Lesser the people know' (incorrect comparative structure). Additionally, some sentences are slightly informal or awkward, such as 'It's public now.' To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and using more varied complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or passive voice, which are particularly relevant when discussing scientific and business research.

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

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