Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-31
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 recent years, the trend of doing work by others has significantly increased. Nowadays, it is common to hire people to do work like household chores or looking after children because people do not have time to do these chores or they do not want to do it. Although people are busy in their work, they should take care of their children so that they can make personal relationship with them.
Due to the hectic schedule, people are so much busy in their daily life. It is good for them to pay others to complete their work. Household chores take much time to complete so it is better to hire people to complete them. Instead of spending time on household work, people should invest precious on study or work. Moreover, it can increase the employment rate as well. For example, in big cities, most of the people are working so they prefer house help to do their household work such as cleaning, looking after children. Thus, it is important to spend time wisely on valuable tasks.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 176 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address both parts of the prompt—discussing the benefits of hiring help for employment and the importance of personal involvement in childcare—the arguments are underdeveloped and lack sufficient supporting examples. The ideas are presented in a very brief manner, preventing a full exploration of the topic. To improve, you must expand on your points with more detailed explanations and specific, illustrative examples to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a deeper engagement with the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into two paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is limited due to the brevity of the text. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Moreover', and 'Thus', which help to link sentences. However, the overall structure feels somewhat disjointed because the arguments are not fully extended. Paragraphing is present, but the second paragraph is quite short and lacks a clear concluding thought that synthesizes the two sides of the argument. To achieve a higher band, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that ideas are linked more fluidly with a wider range of cohesive devices.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'do work', 'complete their work', and 'household work' are used frequently, which limits the range of your expression. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. For example, instead of repeating 'work', you could use terms like 'professional obligations', 'domestic responsibilities', or 'tasks'. To improve, focus on using more precise vocabulary and collocations that are appropriate for a formal essay, and try to avoid repeating the same words in close proximity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of 'Although' clauses. However, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'people are so much busy' (should be 'so busy') and 'invest precious on study' (missing a noun like 'time'). There are also minor issues with article usage and word form. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct preposition usage, and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing necessary components.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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