Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-11-14

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that children learn better when they are placed in classes with children of similar academic abilities. Others believe that children learn better when they are in classes with children representing a diverse range of academic abilities.

Discuss both these views and give your opinion

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

While some people believe that pupils learn better when they are in classes with students representing different level of academic abilities, Others think that children learn better when they are placed in classes with other children of similar academic perfomance. I believe that younger ones should be put in a class where other students have a diverse range of academic abilities.

In my own opinion, I think that younger ones perform better when they are in classes with children that have different types of educational skills so that they will be able to learn from eachother. For example, if one student has a great talent in reading and another pupil is good in writing, they can benefit from eachother by teaching themselves. Another reason is, for instance; imagine a child who is great at solving mathematical problem but poor in speaking english language, a schoolchild who is competent in english language can easily influence the other child who does not speak english fluently, if they are in the same class.

On the other hand, others believe that students learn better when they are placed in classes with children of similar intellectual abilities because they believe that there will not be a draw-back. Unlike if a child is not proficient at a skill, the classmate's performance can easily drop when they interact with such child. Moreso, some people believe that children that are placed in classes with other students of the same academic skills can always help themselves and can easily move at the same pace while learning.

In conclusion, Although younger ones who have the same academic abilities can easily interact with one another, I believe that students should be placed in a class where the pupils have a diverse range of skills so that they can benefit from eachother's strengths.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state your position clearly: you support mixed-ability classes, while the third paragraph explains why some favour grouping students with similar abilities. Your examples about reading and writing strengths, and about mathematics and English, are relevant and help explain how pupils might learn from one another. However, the case for similar-ability classes is less fully developed: the claim that a classmate’s performance may “drop” is not clearly explained or supported. The discussion also relies on broad claims rather than showing when each approach might be most effective. To strengthen the response, explain the opposing view more precisely and develop your examples with a clear consequence. The response meets the task’s length requirement; 39 words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for your view and the opposing view, and a conclusion that restates your position. Signposting such as “On the other hand” helps readers follow the change in perspective. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “In my own opinion, I think” repeats the same function, while “Unlike if a child is not proficient at a skill” does not connect smoothly to the preceding claim. The examples within the second paragraph also run together, making the relationship between the different skills less easy to follow. Use fewer repeated framing phrases and make each paragraph’s main point explicit before adding its explanation and example. Clearer referencing would also help readers identify who “they” refers to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to discuss the topic, including relevant terms such as “academic abilities,” “proficient,” “intellectual abilities,” and “benefit from each other’s strengths.” These choices show some range beyond basic words. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “different types of educational skills,” “there will not be a draw-back,” and “teaching themselves” when you mean teaching one another. Spelling and word-form slips such as “perfomance” and “eachother” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise collocations and consistent spelling, especially for key terms repeated across the essay. Replacing vague phrases with language such as “academic progress” or “peer learning” would make your argument clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if one student has a great talent in reading … they can benefit” and a relative clause in “a schoolchild who is competent in English language.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “different level of academic abilities” needs plural agreement, and “solving mathematical problem” needs an article or plural noun. The sentence beginning “Unlike if a child…” is structurally incomplete, and the opening “While…” sentence has awkward punctuation and capitalisation after the comma. There are also some long sentences whose clauses are not clearly controlled. Practise accurate articles, plurals, and complete comparisons, then check punctuation and sentence boundaries during revision.

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