Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Sharing all information related to science, business and study is considered important in some people's point of view while others think that only essential information is quiet enough. In my opinion, I will passionately support first statement.

Science is a broader field and it covers sensitive aspects of life such as from biomedicine to microbiology and deep down to neurology. If someone has done his research in plant genetics by using a bacterium and he clearly analysed the data according to his observations and interpreted it as well but he only shared a specific sort of information which impressed him and ignored other aspects. It is assuredly possible that bacteria proved to be major cancer-causing agent in human beings with the production of excessive cytokinin. If he will only tell about his growth and does not discuss the type of strain then it cannot be discovered that bacterium is the key root of cancer. But if he shares all information of bacterial strain then it's possible that next scientist when review this article they may discover the negative aspects of this research that can bring a revolution in the entire world. In the other side, if manufacturing steps are not cleared of COVID-19 vaccines then it may be possible that people will not take the dose which leads from pandemic to endemic.

So, it should be cleared and policies should be implement that all the information should be uploaded in scientific research, business and the academic world rather than exclusively considering only a small piece of information.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the sharing of information in science, business, and academia, and presents a clear position supporting full information sharing. However, the opposing view that some information is too valuable or important to be shared freely is only touched upon very briefly in the introduction and is largely undeveloped in the body paragraphs. Instead, the body focuses exclusively on scientific examples, neglecting business and the academic world generally. Furthermore, the argument shifts into a detailed narrative about plant genetics and cancer-causing bacteria rather than thoroughly exploring both sides of the issue. To achieve a higher band score, the writer must ensure that both views mentioned in the prompt receive balanced attention and are supported by fully developed arguments across all specified fields.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay demonstrates an attempt at organization with an introduction, a body paragraph, and a conclusion, but the overall logical progression is disrupted by the structure of the paragraphs. The body of the essay consists of one very long, dense paragraph that crams multiple complex scenarios and examples together, making it difficult for the reader to follow the flow of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes repetitive or awkwardly placed, such as starting sentences with 'So' or 'In the other side' instead of standard academic transitional phrases. Paragraphing is insufficient because the entire discussion is compressed, lacking clear demarcations between the two opposing perspectives requested by the prompt.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student attempts to use some less common subject-specific vocabulary, such as 'biomedicine', 'microbiology', 'neurology', 'cytokinin', and 'pandemic to endemic'. However, there are notable lexical errors and imprecise word choices throughout the text. For instance, writing that others think information is 'quiet enough' is an incorrect collocation, likely meaning 'kept private' or 'restricted'. Additionally, phrases like 'major cancer-causing agent' show an adequate range, but awkward phrasing and occasional word choice errors impede smooth reading. Spelling is generally acceptable, but the overall lexical control fluctuates between ambitious scientific terms and basic operational errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts complex sentence structures, including conditional clauses ('If someone has done his research...', 'If he will only tell...'). However, these complex constructions are frequently marred by grammatical errors, particularly tense consistency and subject-verb agreement. For example, 'If he will only tell' uses the future instead of the present, and 'when review this article' misses a necessary subject or auxiliary verb. There are also punctuation and phrasing issues in long, run-on sentences. While simple sentences are generally understandable, the frequency of errors in complex structures pulls the score down to this band level.

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

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