Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-27

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 is a one of the methods that people use to build wealth and improving their financial situation as long as it's proven as working method, sadly it's slow and takes a very long time, In my opinion I believe that investing is the most appropriate method to build wealth and unlocking luxurious and better life-style.

On the first hand, saving money is one of the most famous method people nowadays relay on to achieve certain amount of money or to buying something they love or even paying their educational and essential needs or a debt.

On the second hands, we must not deny the fact that saving money takes a long time because we rely on a single source of income like salary, There is another approach people use which is Investements, there is known method people use to manage their salaries it called 532 method, we divide the salary of each month by 50% for our needs such as rent and food and everything required for daily life, 30% for entertainment like going to cinema, or having a date..etc, the last 20% is left for savings or investements, so it's connected the bigger source income is, the most you'll save by month.

In conclusion, the main objective is one which is building wealth but there are a lot of methods and it's personal choice, each one of us depending on his skills know what suits him the most and in what time he want to achieve his final result.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt regarding whether people should save money for the future, but shifts the core argument towards promoting investment instead. The writer attempts to cover both saving and investing, but the position is somewhat blurred by the end. Ideas such as the 50/30/20 rule are introduced to support the argument, but they remain under-developed and lack thorough explanation. The connection between the prompt's focus on saving and the student's preference for investing is maintained throughout, yet the overall development could be extended further. Based on the band descriptors, this performance aligns best with a Band 5.5, rounded to a 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant, albeit slightly limited, ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement, and the writer attempts to guide the reader using transition phrases like 'On the first hand' and 'In conclusion'. However, there are noticeable cohesion issues, such as comma splices and run-on sentences, notably in sentences like 'Saving money is a one of the methods... sadly it's slow...'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal cohesion of sentences is sometimes faulty, and referencing is occasionally unclear. The progression of ideas is present, but mechanical errors in linking disrupt the flow. This fits comfortably within the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range, demonstrating enough control to warrant a 5.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts at less common items such as 'luxurious', 'financial situation', and 'investments'. However, there are frequent word choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'is a one of the methods', 'relay on' instead of 'rely on', and 'On the first hand' instead of 'On the one hand'. Spelling and word formation issues are also present. While the range is sufficient to convey the general meaning, these persistent errors prevent the score from reaching a higher band. This performance reflects the criteria for Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control over grammar is weak. There are numerous grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the bigger source income is, the most you'll save') and severe run-on sentences joined entirely by commas. For instance, the second paragraph consists of a single lengthy sentence containing multiple clauses connected improperly. These errors cause some difficulty for the reader and demonstrate that simple sentences are often more reliable than complex structures. This falls squarely into the Band 5.0 descriptor.

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

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