Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

It is sometimes possible to pay somebody to do things you don't want to do, or don't have time to do, for example, household chores or looking after children.

Is this a good way of providing work for others?

Should people do these things themselves?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In today's world people often take time to meet their loved ones, because they are so occupied in day to day life whether it is related to job, or doing household chores. People have worked since ancient time and have never complained about it. But, todays, generation is different with different roles and responsibilities. In my point of view, there is nothing wrong in paying someone when you have busy scheduled.

People who are living in countryside have lot of problems due to busy schedule, constant working hours, they hardly get any time to do other things. For example, a working mother can't look after her children and come home and cook meal for everyone after working constantly 8 hours a day. Instead, she will hire a nanny to look after her kids and with the amount of help she paid her. I believe it is a great thing to helping others for the job you unable to do. Through this way, the nanny able to be independent and be confident in her own self. This encourages her that she is not lesser than anyone and a earning member of herself. Another example is, if the person don't know how to cook they hired a chef who able to cook for them and through that the chef also get paid for that activity.

In my perspective, there is nothing shameful for the people who work for others they are also doing there own job by helping people who are in need. To conclude, people who work for somebody else are needy and work for their independence and security.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: whether this is a good way to provide work and whether people should do these things themselves. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you provide examples like a working mother hiring a nanny or someone hiring a chef, the arguments remain quite superficial. The discussion on whether people 'should' do these things themselves is largely bypassed in favor of justifying why hiring help is acceptable. To reach a higher band, you need to explore the potential downsides of outsourcing personal responsibilities, such as the loss of family bonding time or the development of life skills, to provide a more balanced and comprehensive argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For example' and 'In my perspective', but they are sometimes applied mechanically. The transition between ideas is occasionally abrupt, particularly in the second paragraph where the link between hiring a nanny and the broader economic impact on the worker is a bit disjointed. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good thing', 'busy schedule', and 'do things'. There are also some noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'with the amount of help she paid her' and 'a earning member of herself', which are unnatural. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to labor, domestic responsibilities, and economic independence. Avoid repeating simple phrases and try to incorporate more precise adjectives and verbs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

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 (e.g., 'the person don't know', 'they hired a chef who able to cook'), missing articles, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'todays, generation is different'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on mastering basic sentence patterns and proofreading for common errors like verb tense consistency and pluralization.

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

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