Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-28

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)

Most people consider and believe that information in some fields sch as scientific researches , businesses and some academic activities needs to shared to the public for free. Meanwhile, others believe that some information of extremely high importance should not be given for free. In my opinion ,I think that both of the parties are right. This is because it depends on the status and financial means of each individual in the society .

A person with a good financial health ( that is a person having money) will stand for paying a particular price to obtain valuable information for his business. For instance, watching some videos on the internet ,rich people and some entrepreneur turn to offer alot of money to obtain resources and important information to develop their businesses. As a result , increasing their wealth.

On the other hand , we the individuals in the middle and lower classes , that is having less money to offer for obtaining valuable information such as scientific researches, online academic textbooks , will be the type to stand for free resources because we lack a good financial health and stability hence, trying to acess the resources for free. This is mainly because of a lack choice . A good example is ,there are some textbooks I can't afford because it is very expensive.

To conclude , from my own little experience ,I firmly and stronly think that some important information should be shared for free to the public and others not.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You present a position—that both views have merit—and include reasons and examples, such as people paying for business information and your difficulty affording textbooks. These points are relevant, but the discussion only partly addresses the question: the reasons focus mainly on people’s ability to pay, rather than explaining why information should be shared openly for scientific progress or why valuable information may need protection. The example about entrepreneurs is also unclear and does not show precisely how paid information benefits their businesses. Your conclusion repeats the general position without resolving when information should be free and when it should not. Develop both sides more fully and state a clearer principle for your own view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph for each perspective, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “Meanwhile,” “On the other hand,” and “To conclude” help readers follow the broad direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical or unclear. For example, “As a result, increasing their wealth” is not a complete sentence and the link between buying information and becoming wealthier needs explanation. The second body paragraph also combines several ideas—income, access to research, and textbook prices—without clearly separating them. Use clearer links between each claim and its example, and make references such as “the type” more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “scientific researches,” “academic textbooks,” “valuable information,” and “financial stability,” so the reader can identify the subject of the essay. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes meaning less clear. For instance, “good financial health” is an awkward way to describe someone’s ability to pay, while “stand for paying” does not naturally express willingness to pay. “A lack choice” is also unclear, and “alot” and “acess” contain spelling errors. Build a more precise range around access, research, intellectual property, and funding, and check spelling and natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast between the two views and a reason introduced by “This is because.” However, control is uneven, and errors in sentence structure and grammatical forms sometimes make the argument difficult to follow. For example, “needs to shared” is missing a verb form, and “As a result, increasing their wealth” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. The construction “we the individuals … that is having less money” is also difficult to parse, while “some textbooks … because it is very expensive” has unclear agreement and reference. Practise complete sentences, accurate verb patterns, and clear clause construction before adding more complex structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.