Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

It is important for everyone, including young people, to save money for their future.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Saving money for the future is always a very good idea. First of all, money is something that is needed in almost all areas in life. Whether you are young or old you need money to buy everyday things like food, clothing, etc. living etc.

Young people are usually often full of enthusiasm about their future. They are looking forward to their first job, to meeting new people or to getting to know as much of the world as they can. Many tend to live in the present rather than in the future so that they don't always plan ahead.

When young people get older and settle down they realize that buying a house, starting a family or caring for your health takes up a good considerable amount of money and everybody who began saving money in younger years is glad to have done so. However, saving money is not always possible when you are young. Sometimes unforeseen expenses cannot be avoided, life situations are suddenly changing or there is never even enough money available even for the most necessary things. So how could you save money for the future in this case? In general, you have to ask yourself what your priorities in life are. What are the things you cherish most? Is it more important for you to plan ahead or do you prefer to just enjoy the moment that you live in?

Everybody has to make own choices and to consider what is really essential for him or herself.

In any age taking a moment to reflect on your life and looking back at the choices you think you have already done is always a good thing to do.

If you know yourself well and all about all the things that really make you happy you will be able to make the right decisions in financial issues as well as life other areas in life.

In what way money plays an important role will be easy to be found out then. Perhaps you need less than you first thought years ago.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the importance of saving money and acknowledging the challenges young people face. However, the position is not fully developed. While you mention that saving is a 'good idea,' you spend a significant portion of the essay discussing the difficulties of saving rather than clearly arguing for or against the necessity of it. To improve, ensure your position is consistent throughout and provide more concrete examples or evidence to support your arguments. The conclusion is somewhat vague and does not clearly restate your stance on the prompt's core statement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is generally coherent, and the progression of ideas is logical. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'First of all,' 'However,' and 'In general,' to link your thoughts. However, the paragraphing is inconsistent; the essay is composed of several short, fragmented paragraphs that could be better structured to improve flow. Some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the connection between the idea of 'knowing yourself' and 'financial decisions' in the final paragraphs is a bit tenuous, which affects the overall clarity of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'unforeseen expenses,' 'priorities,' and 'reflect.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of repetitive phrasing, such as 'money' and 'life' appearing frequently. Some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'life other areas in life,' which is redundant. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and avoid repeating basic nouns by using synonyms or more descriptive adjectives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are several grammatical errors that occasionally affect the flow. For example, 'usually often' is redundant, and 'choices you think you have already done' is an awkward collocation (should be 'made'). There are also minor punctuation and phrasing issues, such as 'life situations are suddenly changing' (should be 'change'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a greater variety of complex grammatical structures to demonstrate higher control.

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

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