Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-01

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)

Information is a very crutial thing especially in fields that involves research. Some people argue that it is too valuable and important to be shared, while others say that, it should be available for everyone to use. I partially agree with the second view.

When sharing information, we are actually helping people by giving them valuable correct data, that they can use for various purposes like research, academicly and even in buisnesses. For example, scientists can use information to make medicines that will help the sick people. This is how many important invensions that we have now are made. Another way information is used to help the people and society is the use of right facts and figures to deliver the truth and bring a fair society in this world.

In the drawbacks, some people argue that information like the countries secrets, the political information or sensitive information in general is supposed to stay confidential and should not be given to the public just like that. This could put the country security in danger. Another reason is that the information is very precious and just giving it out feels unfair. However, I think that facilities like academic institutions, scientific research should still get the information so that they can learn and help their country.

In conclusion, I beleive that information should be shared as much as it can to spread the knowledge and the truth but the person who spend time to gather the information should be given the credit and sometimes even money for the effort.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the benefits of sharing information and the reasons for keeping certain data confidential, while also stating a personal opinion. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, when the writer mentions that information is used for 'various purposes like research, academicly and even in buisnesses', the point is not fully extended with specific elaboration. Similarly, the counter-argument regarding national security and political secrets is introduced briefly without deep exploration. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to expand on their arguments with more thorough explanations and fully developed examples rather than relying on generalized statements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a clear attempt at organisation with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs addressing both sides of the issue, and a conclusion. However, the overall progression lacks smooth transitions between ideas, making the structure feel somewhat mechanical. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes repetitively or inaccurately, such as starting a paragraph with 'In the drawbacks,' which is awkward and unnatural phrasing. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in the transition between thoughts in the third paragraph. To improve cohesion, the writer should employ a wider and more natural range of linking words and ensure that each paragraph flows logically into the next without abrupt shifts in focus.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, demonstrating a basic range with some attempts at less common items like 'confidential' and 'precious'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'crutial' instead of crucial, 'academicly' instead of academically, and 'buisnesses' instead of businesses. Additionally, awkward collocations like 'countries secrets' instead of state secrets appear in the writing. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score. To progress, the writer must expand their vocabulary range, practice correct word forms, and pay closer attention to standard spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple and moderately complex forms. When the writer attempts more complex structures, frequent errors emerge in areas such as article usage, plurals, and prepositions, for example in sentences like 'fields that involves research' (subject-verb agreement error) or 'bring a fair society in this world' (inappropriate preposition and article use). Punctuation errors, such as unnecessary commas splitting subject and verb ('others say that, it should be available'), also occur. These frequent errors can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex sentences and maintain tighter grammatical control.

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

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