Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-26

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)

A vast amount of students choose to study English by themself rather than joining an official class. Yet, without any assistance of a teacher, pupils could find it challenging to maintain their studies. I strongly agree to this statement, Although some students could study english independently, it would be beneficial if he/she attended classes.

Most of the students in different countries find it very challenging to study english because they don't clearly identify the words or pronunciation of those words and how to develop a sentence. However, if they consult a teacher it could be easier for them. Their teachers could identify the weaknesses and provide them with ways to solve it. For an instance, a teacher could conduct a small test to check their weak spots and gradually make them adapt.As a result, the student develops basic and understanding level of english and fluency.

In the recent years with the development of technology, individuals have access to diifferent website to study english independently. With this approach some students could gain benefits and not waste any money for classes, however, some could find it difficult.Even though they study in those websites or online platform, they could be stuck at some point where they would need help. For example, students learning english by self studies could lead to areas, where they can't find a way to that problem without any guidence. They could be struggling or keeo practicing but without solving those challenges all their hardwork would go to waste. Consequently, its essential students study with a proper schedule and know when it right to join classes.

In conclusion, although studying independently would be advantageous to many, it really important students understand that with a teachers assistence they could improve their performance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout. You have provided relevant reasons for why teacher assistance is beneficial, such as identifying individual weaknesses and providing structured feedback. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument that students get 'stuck' and need guidance is mentioned in both the second and third paragraphs. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to extend your ideas with more specific, varied examples or deeper analysis of the psychological or pedagogical benefits of formal instruction versus self-study. The conclusion is clear, but the overall development remains at a functional level rather than a fully extended one.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use cohesive devices such as 'However', 'For an instance', and 'Consequently' to link ideas. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or are used with minor errors, such as 'For an instance' (should be 'For instance') and 'In the recent years' (should be 'In recent years'). Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, in the third paragraph, the phrase 'lead to areas, where they can't find a way to that problem' is somewhat confusing. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'independently', 'formal course', and 'fluency'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'A vast amount of students' (should be 'A vast number of'), 'by themself' (should be 'by themselves'), and 'make them adapt' (which is vague in this context). There are also minor spelling errors like 'diifferent' and 'keeo'. To reach a higher band, you need to use less common lexical items with more precision and ensure that your collocations are natural and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. These include subject-verb agreement issues ('it really important students understand'), article usage ('with a teachers assistence'), and punctuation errors, such as the missing space after the period in 'adapt.As'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically regarding pluralization, article usage, and sentence boundary punctuation, while continuing to experiment with more complex sentence forms.

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

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