Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-26

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)

If you are busy due to your hectic schedules, sometimes you lack time to do all the tasks by yourself but you can get it done by hiring professionals to complete those tasks such as nannies and child care centers etc.

Modern life has become extremely hectic that sometimes it feels that 24 hours are not sufficient to complete all the household chores and at the end of the day, you feel exhausted and still there would be plenty of chores remaining such as laundry, cleaning, repairs, oil change etc.

However, it must be noted that it is not necessary to do all of those chores by yourself especially if you can afford to hire professionals. It will keep the money circulated, you will be bosting the country's by spending the money you earned and peace of mind will be the additional advantage. Furthermore, you will be getting the task done by a professional who is skilled in that subject matter. Therefore, as long as you are paying a fair wage to that professional, there should be no harm in it.

Some people prefer to do all the chores by themselves. Sometimes, they have trust issues in delicate matters such as hiring nannies for children and sometimes, they were just brought up like that to complete all the tasks by themselves which is an excellent habit but sometimes it can be daunting.

In conclusion, I think it varies from task to task, while depending upon circumstances and neighborhood that if certain tasks can be outsourced to a trustworthy institution or an individual.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: whether outsourcing is a good way to provide work and whether people should perform these tasks themselves. However, the development is somewhat superficial. While you mention economic benefits and professional skill, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, the point about 'boosting the country's' is incomplete and vague. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations and concrete examples, ensuring that your position is clearly maintained throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'Therefore' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally weak, such as in the final sentence where the phrasing 'that if certain tasks can be outsourced' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the logical progression. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the transition between the benefits of outsourcing and the reasons for doing tasks oneself could be smoother to improve the overall coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'hectic schedules', 'outsourced', and 'subject matter'. However, there are some inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'bosting the country's' (which is also a spelling error) and 'peace of mind will be the additional advantage'. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that your word choices are contextually accurate and grammatically sound.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are several grammatical errors that persist, such as 'Modern life has become extremely hectic that sometimes it feels...' (should be 'so hectic that'), and 'you will be bosting the country's' (missing a noun). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While these errors do not generally impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing your control over complex structures and proofreading for minor grammatical slips would significantly enhance your score.

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

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