Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-16
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 modern world where data is very important for many people, so share a sensitive or personal information is very critical decision to take. In contrast, some people believe that share as much information as possible in scientific research give a accurate information to other. On the other hand, some people says information is too important or too valuable to be shared freely. However, I believe to share information according to the needs.
To begin with, if enterprise shares much information to public, it build not only trust but also build strong brand image of the company in public's mind. Moreover, if company publish there research on the internet can help other researcher to invent the idea or solve a problem that take years to found from the scrach. For instance, if company shares their yearly expenses on their website; scientific investigations can analysis it for academic perposes. Furthermore, if scientist publish some of their research so new genration scientist can upgrade the research or find new results.
Secondly, company spends tons of money on research if this data were leaked, it was a masive disaster for company ; and advantage for competitors. As an example, Coca-Cola spends lots of money on research and develop recipe that no one can match, if recipe was leak no one buy Coca-Cola.
In my opition, a balanced approach are more effective than absolute transparency or complete secrecy. In scientific research and academia, information should generally be shared freely because human progress depends on collaboration and peer review. However, in the business world, companies must protect valuable intellectual property, trade secrets, and sensitive financial data to maintain their competitive edge. Ultimately, while public knowledge drives societal advancement, commercial confidentiality ensures that businesses remain motivated to invest in costly innovations.
In conclusion, while sharing academic and scientific data drives global innovation, protecting business secrets is vital for fair competition. Therefore, a balanced approach combining open collaboration with strategic confidentiality is best.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that information should be shared freely in science and business versus the idea that some information is too valuable to be shared—and provides a clear personal opinion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning Coca-Cola and academic collaboration, although some arguments tend to over-generalise or lack deeper elaboration. For instance, the transition from enterprise sharing to scientific investigations analysing yearly expenses is slightly disjointed. Nevertheless, the requirements for Band 6.5 or 7.0 in Task Achievement are met because all prompt requirements are addressed with a clear stance. A band score of 6.0 is awarded as some ideas remain slightly under-developed and lack full elaboration.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, starting with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs addressing the prompts, an opinion paragraph, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' are used to structure the text, though some referencing is faulty or mechanical (e.g., 'if company publish there research on the internet can help...'). Paragraph progression is generally logical, moving from enterprise transparency to the dangers of data leaks, followed by a nuanced personal opinion. However, misuse of cohesive links and occasional clunky transitions prevent a higher score, aligning the response with Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'intellectual property', 'commercial confidentiality', and 'competitive edge'. However, there are noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors throughout the text (e.g., 'share a sensitive or personal information', 'publish there research', 'from the scrach', 'analysis it', 'perposes', 'masive', 'opition'). These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score. The repetition of basic terms like 'company' and 'research' further limits the lexical range, fitting the Band 5.5 to 6.0 profile well. A score of 5.5 reflects the frequent vocabulary inaccuracies.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures ('if enterprise shares...', 'if company spends...') and relative clauses. However, there is a high frequency of grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms, article usage, subject-verb agreement, and sentence fragments (e.g., 'so share a sensitive or personal information is very critical decision', 'if this data were leaked, it was a masive disaster', 'a balanced approach are more effective'). Many complex sentence attempts contain structural faults that can cause occasional difficulty for the reader. While communication is generally maintained, the persistence of basic grammatical errors places this response firmly in the Band 5.0 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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