Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-05
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
A huge number of students choose to study English independently on a self- study basis rather than attend a formal course. However, without the assistance of a teacher, students often find it difficult to manage their studies.
To what extent do you agree or disagree ?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
In recent years, many students have preffered learning English through self-study instead of enrolling in formal language courses. Although studying independently offers greater flexibility and lower costs, I stongly agree that the absence of a qualified teacher makes it more difficult for learners to achieve consistent progress.
On the one hand, self-study has several advantages. Students can learn at their own pace, choose materials that match their interests, and study whenever it is convenient. In addition, a wide range of free online resources, including educational websites, mobile applications, and video lessons, enables learners to improve heir grammar, vocabulary, and listening skills without paying expensive cource fees. As a result, slef-study has become an attractive option for many people, particularly those with busy schedules.
On the other hand, learning without proffessional guidance presets significant challenges. One major problem is that students may develop incorrect pronunciations or grammatical errors. A teacher can help to solve grammar issues and evaluate with proper way. Most of the classes have standard staff for learning english that is why it would be more beneficial for scholarsh who genuinely learn this language to inhance their skills for peoper amount of communications.
From my perspective, self study is a great option; however students should learn with english scholars because they assist them to identify their errors and evaluate with proper information.
To conclude, although self-study has better outcomed, scholars can do effortlessly with english taught classes. they have a significant number of opportunities to learn new information face-to-face with other students.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position in the introduction and maintaining it throughout. The ideas are relevant, discussing both the benefits of self-study and the necessity of professional guidance. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding 'professional guidance' is repetitive and lacks specific examples or deeper analysis of how a teacher specifically facilitates learning beyond just 'identifying errors'. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations or concrete examples of how a teacher's intervention leads to better outcomes compared to self-study.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical, and the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the final paragraph is slightly disjointed, and the reference to 'scholars' is used in a way that is slightly confusing in context. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing is precise would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'formal language courses', 'flexibility', and 'professional guidance'. However, there are several spelling errors ('preffered', 'stongly', 'heir', 'cource', 'slef-study', 'proffessional', 'presets', 'inhance', 'peoper', 'outcomed') and some awkward word choices, such as using 'scholars' to refer to language students. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on proofreading your work for common spelling mistakes and ensure you are using words in their correct context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'evaluate with proper way', 'standard staff for learning english', and 'scholars can do effortlessly with english taught classes'. These errors occasionally impede the flow of the text. There are also issues with article usage and preposition choice. To achieve a higher score, you need to increase the accuracy of your complex sentences and pay closer attention to basic grammatical rules, such as subject-verb agreement and correct prepositional phrases.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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