Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-19
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)
In today's rapidly changing world, children's learning has become a matter of considerable debate. While some individuals think that patrons can learn well if they are paired with similar academic abilities, other argues that should be paired with different class of academic abilities for better learning. This essay will discuss both perspective before explaining why I believe that youngster will learn more with diverse range of academic abilities.
One of the main reasons why youngsters learns less with similar academic abilities is that they wouldn't be explore or generate new ideas or new thoughts while staying surrounded by same range of abilities. As a result, they won't fell more competitive around the other children which ultimately demotivate them to upgrade their skills. For instance, If a child good in playing chess but when he see's his friends playing chess, he might not try to learn new games and will be focusing on just chess as they surrounded by same academic abilities children's.
On the other hand, If the child is good in English and if he paired with other Mathematics students, they both will try their best to share their knowledge with each others. For instance, if a kid who is doing in Mathematics, he will help other kids to learn it and vice versa.
In conclusion, although academic abilities matters the most, I believe that fire inside the kids about learning new things and cooperation would be more beneficial overall, because it encourages other patrons to explore new academic abilities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is limited. The arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the example regarding chess is confusing and does not clearly illustrate the academic benefit of mixed-ability grouping. The second example about English and Mathematics students is also underdeveloped and lacks a logical explanation of how this interaction improves learning outcomes. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more detailed, logical explanations and concrete examples that directly support your claims rather than relying on vague scenarios.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression of ideas is sometimes weak. While cohesive devices like 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion' are used, the internal flow within paragraphs is often disjointed. For example, the transition between the idea of 'competitive' environments and the chess example is abrupt. Additionally, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the use of 'they' and 'their' which occasionally makes it difficult to identify the intended subject. More varied linking words and better sentence-to-sentence connection would improve the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of inappropriate word choice, such as using 'patrons' to refer to students, which is incorrect in this context. Other errors include 'different class of academic abilities' instead of 'diverse academic backgrounds'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the range is limited, and the repetition of phrases like 'academic abilities' suggests a lack of lexical flexibility. To improve, focus on using more precise academic terminology and avoiding word-choice errors that detract from the professional tone of the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('other argues', 'youngsters learns'), incorrect verb forms ('wouldn't be explore', 'he see's'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the errors do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they are frequent enough to be distracting. Increasing the accuracy of basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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