Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28

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)

Nowadays, people can pay others to do tasks that they do not want to do or do not have enough time to complete. These tasks may include household chores, cooking, cleaning, or looking after children. In my opinion, paying other people to do such work can be a good way of creating employment, although people should still do some tasks themselves.

Firstly, hiring people for household work provides job opportunities for others. Many people earn their living by cleaning houses, cooking food, or looking after children. This can be especially helpful for people who have limited qualifications or cannot find other types of work. For example, a busy family may hire a cleaner, which gives the cleaner a regular source of income.

On the other hand, people should not depend completely on others for their daily responsibilities. Doing household tasks can teach useful skills and help family members become more independent. Parents, for instance, should spend time with their children instead of always paying someone else to look after them.

In conclusion, paying people to do unwanted or time-consuming tasks can provide valuable employment opportunities. However, people should also take responsibility for important household duties themselves.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student addresses both parts of the prompt by discussing whether hiring help is a good way to provide employment and whether people should still perform these tasks themselves. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the response is significantly under-length at only 196 words, failing to reach the 250-word minimum. This severely limits the depth of development and extension required for higher bands. While the ideas are relevant, they remain somewhat general and under-developed due to the brevity of the text. Consequently, the score is capped at Band 5.0 for failing to fully satisfy the length requirement and leaving ideas underexplored.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is organized into four clear paragraphs with an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting opposing views, and a conclusion. There is a logical progression of ideas, moving smoothly from employment benefits in paragraph two to personal responsibility in paragraph three. Basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader through the text. Referencing is generally clear, with appropriate use of pronouns and repetition. Although the overall arrangement is coherent, the limited length prevents a wider range of cohesive devices from being demonstrated. This performance aligns comfortably with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for the task. Words and phrases such as 'employment opportunities,' 'regular source of income,' and 'daily responsibilities' are used accurately. There are also attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'time-consuming tasks' and 'limited qualifications.' Spelling and word choice are generally accurate, and communication is never impeded by lexical errors. However, the vocabulary remains somewhat standard and lacks the more sophisticated, precise collocation and uncommon lexical items characteristic of Band 7. Therefore, a Band 6.0 is awarded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The student exhibits good control of basic grammar and sentence structures. There is a healthy mix of simple and complex sentences, such as 'This can be especially helpful for people who have limited qualifications or cannot find other types of work.' Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and the majority of sentences are grammatically accurate. Although complex structures are attempted successfully, the range of grammatical structures remains somewhat limited due to the short length of the essay. Minor errors are virtually absent, indicating solid control over the simple forms used, placing this securely at Band 6.5.

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

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