Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-23

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 my opinion, Children learn better when they are with children having diverse range of academic abilities within the class as there will be a lot of opportunities to learn and grow within themselves by seeing their classmates.

By having different abilities within a class, this will encourage children to push themselves by enhancing their skills and abilities with a healthy competition as for example- when I was in school, I was so keen in sports but had a negative interest in arts but when i saw my friend having excellence in art and craft. I was motivated within myself for pushing myself towards arts and my friend helps me too and vice versa I helped her for sports and games

On the other hand, If the classroom is just filled with children having similar academic abilities then there will be no motivation for growth or learning something new although in schooling is a success key to enhance our skills by ourselves and offcourse with the help of our teachers. For instance, if everyone is having similar academic abilities then no one will try to enhance their skills. The classroom usually consist of 40-50 students who are unique in themselves with different abilities and skills and there are many facts that children learns the most in their schooling times rather than a fully grown one.

To conclude, I am confident that if there is a variety of abilities in classes it will be helping children to grow and succeed fastly then just having a similar academic skills

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you favour mixed-ability classes, and you give a relevant personal example about learning from a friend’s strengths in art and sport. You also address the alternative view by explaining that similar-ability groups may offer less motivation to develop. However, the two views are not explored equally: the case for mixed classes receives the more concrete support, while the argument for similar-ability classes is mostly dismissed rather than explained from its supporters’ perspective. The claim that students in similar groups will not try to improve is also too absolute and needs support. To develop the response further, explain a genuine benefit of grouping students with similar abilities, then compare it with the advantages of mixed classes and support both points with specific reasoning or examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an opening position, a paragraph supporting mixed-ability classes, a paragraph considering similar-ability classes, and a conclusion. Connectors such as “On the other hand,” “For instance,” and “To conclude” help signal the stages of the argument. However, some links are mechanical, and the long second paragraph moves through several ideas without clear separation. The example about art and sport is relevant, but its explanation runs into the next point, making the progression harder to follow. References such as “this” in “By having different abilities within a class, this will encourage” are not fully clear. Use shorter, more focused paragraphs and make each one develop a single main point, with clearer links between the claim, explanation, and example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “academic abilities,” “healthy competition,” “enhancing their skills,” and “motivation for growth.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the personal example gives you opportunities to use topic-related language. However, the range is limited by repetition of “abilities,” “skills,” and “children,” while several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “grow within themselves,” “negative interest in arts,” and “succeed fastly.” “Excellence in art and craft” also does not sound natural in this context. Aim for more precise collocations and vary repeated terms; for example, describe students as developing their strengths or learning from peers. More accurate word choice would make the argument clearer and more natural without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “if everyone is having similar academic abilities” and a contrast introduced by “although.” The main message is generally understandable, but some sentence structures are incomplete or awkwardly joined. For example, “By having different abilities within a class, this will encourage…” has an unclear grammatical subject, and the sentence beginning “On the other hand, If…” continues into several ideas without effective sentence boundaries. There are also errors in agreement and verb forms, as in “The classroom usually consist” and “children learns.” Capitalisation and punctuation are inconsistent, including the capital letters after commas and the dash before “when.” Practise building clear subject–verb sentences and separating long explanations into shorter, accurately punctuated sentences.

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