Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-01

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)

It entirely depends on the type of information which decides whether we should share it with others or not.

Though, the people who believe it is good to share the information are right in one way. When you share the information, you discuss it with other people. You get their opinions and sometimes know about their work too. From which you can get more ideas and improve your work as well. So, in this way sharing the knowledge is good where both parties can share their knowledge and improve their quality of work.

But if the information is secretive, you cannot share it with everyone. Until you have completed your project or work. You share it with the world once its ready to be shared not before that. Because doing so, sharing before its completed, could leak it. Others can take your idea or your work. You might loose the authenticity of your work. Sharing your work can make it non-exclusive.

If you are researching on something to prepare a drug that could heal some medical illness, you should not share your years of work with others until you complete your research. Once you successfully make that drug, you can publish your research for to others to check it. In this way, your work will stay exclusive to you.

So to conclude we can say, sharing information can be considered good only if that information is not primarily secretive. Any other information can be shared and discussed openly and freely as one would like.

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 example of medical research is relevant, the discussion remains quite general and lacks depth in terms of business or academic contexts. The essay follows a basic structure, but the arguments could be extended further to reach a higher band. The position is consistent, but the explanation of why information should be kept secret is slightly repetitive. To improve, you should provide more nuanced examples and explore the implications of information sharing in different sectors more thoroughly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the frequent use of 'So' and 'In this way' at the beginning of sentences makes the flow feel a bit simplistic. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall flow. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs relies on basic linking words rather than a sophisticated range of cohesive devices.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on common words like 'good', 'work', and 'share'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'loose' instead of 'lose' and 'for to others' which is grammatically incorrect. To improve, you should aim to use more academic collocations and precise terminology related to research and intellectual property. The range is sufficient to communicate your ideas, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or sophistication expected at a band 7 or above.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. For instance, 'It entirely depends on the type of information which decides...' is a clunky construction. There are also punctuation and phrasing issues, such as 'Until you have completed your project or work.' which is a sentence fragment. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on sentence variety and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately.

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

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