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)

In this busy world, it is inevitable to be exhausted with the things you don't have time to do but it cannot be postponed either. Most of the times people have so many things on their plate, they can't find proper time to do it. Well, it also depends on the things i.e how crucial they are or how sooner it id needed to be done.

For an instance, household chores are the tasks which can be done later on as well but cannot be avoided or cannot put down off the list. I believe if this economy is working well for you and you are earning good, you can pay for a 5 or 6 hours of labour if somebody can do it for you in the way you want it.

On the other side, some people are more into arguments like hygiene or privacy. To resolve this issue, you can hire somebody who you trust or take references from your family or friends. This is how you will know that the labour you are paying for is worth it or not. We can also build trust among each other. That's how any relationship is going to start either it is personal or professional. These things will come with the time.

Scrutinizing, It is indeed a very reliable concept of paying somebody to do the things we are not able to by making sure it is not making us lazy and irresponsible of the tasks that we are supposed to look after.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the economic benefits of outsourcing tasks and the personal considerations regarding trust and responsibility. However, the development is somewhat superficial. The arguments regarding whether people should do these things themselves are limited to a brief mention of hygiene and privacy, and the conclusion is quite abrupt. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more detailed examples and a more balanced exploration of the 'should' aspect of the prompt. The position is clear, but the supporting ideas lack depth and academic rigor.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally awkward, such as 'On the other side' and 'Scrutinizing, It is indeed'. The transition between the economic argument and the personal trust argument is abrupt. While there is an overall logical flow, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive structure of some sentences make the cohesion feel basic rather than fluid. Improving the variety of transition signals would enhance the overall structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on common phrases like 'things on their plate' and 'earning good'. There are also some unnatural collocations, such as 'put down off the list' and 'labour' used to refer to domestic help, which is slightly inaccurate in this context. While the meaning is clear, the range is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic control that would demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'how sooner it id needed' (typo and incorrect comparative structure), 'either it is personal or professional' (incorrect use of 'either'), and 'Scrutinizing, It is indeed' (dangling participle). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining sentence construction will help improve your score.

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

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