Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-29

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 time, people are quite occupied with there lives due to which they barely have any time to spare. With rising cost of living, people are forced to work longer hours in order to afford a comfortable life. These long working hours makes them physically and mentally exhausted. As a result, people are forced to hire someone else to get over some basic daily tasks such as cleaning the house, taking your pet for a walk, looking after your kids, etc.

I strongly agree with outsourcing household chores, child care, and other house maintaining tasks. it is a good way of supporting yourself and the lower middle-class who are wiling to take on such small, basic labor intensive tasks in order to make a living. This benefits both the parties as both are getting what they need. For instance, both the parents are working while they have a child and cannot be left alone, so they hire a nanny to babysit. This satisfies both the parties and both get what they are looking for.

While people are busy with there fast-paced life, it is also crucial to understand that one cannot be completely dependent on someone else for doing all the work.

In conclusion, outsourcing work is not a sign of laziness, in fact it is a mutually beneficial for both the working individual and the service provider as both satisfy each others needs which is to lie a comfortable life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, but the development is insufficient. While you state your position clearly, the ideas are not fully extended. For instance, the argument regarding supporting the lower middle-class is a good point, but it lacks depth or specific examples of how this economic exchange functions beyond a brief mention. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum, which limits your ability to fully develop your arguments. To improve, ensure you provide more detailed explanations and examples for each point raised to meet the word count and demonstrate a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. While you use some cohesive devices like 'In conclusion' and 'For instance', the transitions between sentences could be smoother. The final paragraph is very brief and does not effectively synthesise the arguments presented earlier. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that connects logically to the previous one, creating a more cohesive flow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some relevant terms such as 'outsourcing', 'labor intensive', and 'mutually beneficial'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'there lives' instead of 'their lives' and 'house maintaining' instead of 'household maintenance'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic phrasing. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to express your ideas with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'These long working hours makes' (subject-verb agreement) and 'both the parties' (unnecessary article). Additionally, there are punctuation issues and spelling errors like 'wiling' instead of 'willing'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall clarity of your writing. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensure that your complex sentences are constructed accurately.

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

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