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

Nowadays famous people are photographed by professional photographers everywhere they go. Some people say this is a good thing because the public are interested in their lives. Other people think that photographers are wrong to follow famous people.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In todays technologically advanced world, people have more access to follow their role models. This advantage has provided a new business opportunity to social media platforms and online media channels. Posting pictures of famous people in order to get more view, subsequently earn money from views has become common. While some people think of it as a positive trend, others argue that important events should be given more priority. In my opinion, pictures of important social events, nature or old heritages should be given priority than celebrities day to day life activities.

In one hand, pictures of celebrity about participating in a social cause may play a vital role in encouraging people. For example, if a celebrity goes to a flood affected area for providing aid and photographs of this activity are published, it may results in people proving funds for this cause.

On the other hand, some people believe that it is not right to follow famous people wherever they go. They believe, professional photographers are more interested in capturing celebrities day to day life which is unnecessary, and don't have a significant outcome to the society. It also restricts privacy of the celebrity and can damage reputation. Professional photographers can play a vital role in developing economy. A well-captured photograph of nature, tourist sports and heritages can promote tourism; ultimately results in more earnings for the country. In addition, people get the impression of beauty of the country that increases patriotism.

In my opinion, professional photographers should use their skill in development of the country. Capturing every activities of famous people is just a waste of their skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the positive aspect of celebrity photography (social causes) is briefly mentioned, the argument regarding the negative impact of paparazzi is more developed. The transition to the idea that photographers should focus on nature and tourism is a bit abrupt and shifts the focus away from the core prompt about celebrity photography. To reach a higher band, ensure that each viewpoint is balanced in terms of depth and that your own opinion is integrated more smoothly into the overall structure of the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition', to link your points. However, some of these transitions are slightly mechanical or contain minor errors (e.g., 'In one hand' should be 'On the one hand'). The referencing is generally clear, but the connection between the final paragraph and the preceding arguments could be strengthened to ensure a more cohesive flow throughout the entire piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'technologically advanced', 'significant outcome', and 'patriotism'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural collocation or word choice, such as 'old heritages' (better: 'historical sites' or 'cultural heritage') and 'providing funds' (better: 'donating funds'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, some errors in word choice persist. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the meaning remains clear throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'In todays' (missing apostrophe), 'get more view' (should be 'views'), 'it may results in' (should be 'result in'), and 'every activities' (should be 'every activity'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of plural forms after quantifiers like 'every'. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you move into the higher bands.

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