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)
Some people argue that all the information should be public related to science, business and academia while others think that valuable piece of information should not be freely accessed by everyone. Sharing information might be beneficial to humanity.
On the other hand, it leads to destruction if fell down in wrong hands. By public all the data can help scientists to new innovations, discoveries as well as helpful. For instance, rapid development of vaccines could only be done when information shared among the scientists worldwide. Students can benefit in studies by accessing restriction free academic websites. They can review articles, read books, or gather information about prestigious institutes to be enrolled in future. In business, sharing advancements and new technological devices enhance competition.
On the other hand, it leads towards a threat if the national security data, or military equipment information is leaked. It will a great misshapen for national defence if security information is in the hands of hackers. In business, if investments, or policies related to better product quality are not protected then companies will face great incentive loss and can delineate the competition. In academia, if a highly competitive examination is available to public then ineligible candidates can win the field regardless any effort.
In my opinion, information should be free accessed to a student, a businessman, or a scientist with a reasonable restrictions. However, all the data related to the national security, business investments and medical records should be protected. So a better policies must be implemented either information is easily accessible or hard to find.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the views in favour of and against sharing information freely across science, business, and academia, while also presenting a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. The ideas are generally relevant, such as mentioning vaccine development and national security risks. However, some of the supporting points remain somewhat under-developed or general, such as the claim regarding examination papers in academia. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Because all parts of the task are addressed and the ideas are extended with examples, the essay achieves a Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a logical overall organisation with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a concluding stance. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the contrasting arguments. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'On the other hand' and 'For instance', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, particularly the repeated use of 'On the other hand'. Referencing is generally clear, but occasional minor awkwardness in cohesion prevents a higher band. Overall, the logical progression is maintained throughout, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptors well.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'innovations', 'prestigious institutes', and 'national defence'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'fell down in wrong hands' instead of 'fall into the wrong hands', 'misshapen' instead of 'mishapen' or 'disaster', 'incentive loss', and 'free accessed'. These errors do not seriously impede communication but restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5, as the vocabulary control is inconsistent.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structure with relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'all the information should be public related to science', 'if fell down in wrong hands', 'regardless any effort', and 'So a better policies must be implemented'. Punctuation and article usage also show recurrent inaccuracies. While meaning is generally clear despite these errors, they occur frequently enough to place the essay firmly at Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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