Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-12
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, some people believes that to learn english self study is a better option instead of formal schooling. While other finds it difficult without the assistance of experts. I believe that, under the supervision of a senior or a teacher it would be much easier for individuals to learn more effectively, guided roadmap, and formal study enviornment will help them concentrate.
On the one hand, years of experienced teachers help students to follow a straight road towards achiveing their goals, without getting distracted. Although self study is very essential for better understanding but many student s lacks in consistancy, their retention rate is very low. For example, one of my close friend decided to prepare for his ielts exam at home, instead of an academy. First few days passed fine but later on he was unable to be consistant, eventually he wasted arround one month and still stands at zero.
On the other hand, traditional classrooms , and educational institutes create an atmosphere of studing, which can not be experienced at home. Number of distractions are available in our house by which we easily lose our focus, such as mobile phone, tv and playing games. Whereas, formal courses by experienced mentors help us to stay focused. For instance, i have started learning networks and communication recently, from youtube but instead of taking lecture, sometimes i start watching other things on it. As a result i failed my first paper with very bad grades.
In conclusion, self learning can be very beneficial for some students with strong mindset However, those who lacks self control, better to choose instructor or join an academy.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the extent of agreement regarding independent English study versus formal courses. The writer takes a clear position in the introduction stating that learning under a teacher's supervision is more effective due to structured guidance and a better environment. Ideas are extended with relevant personal examples, such as the friend preparing for the IELTS exam and the writer's own experience learning networks on YouTube. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise slightly, and the development could be more thoroughly supported with broader arguments rather than purely anecdotal evidence. Despite these minor limitations, all parts of the task are adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into clear paragraphs with a recognizable introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion' are used to signal the progression of ideas. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, such as in the opening sentence where 'some people believes' and 'While other finds' disrupt smooth flow. Additionally, sentence structures within the introduction lack seamless integration, with comma splices affecting the logical linkage. Paragraphing is used appropriately overall, giving the essay a coherent overall arrangement that places it at a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'supervision', 'consistency', 'retention rate', and 'distractions'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors that occur throughout the text, including 'english' (uncapitalized), 'enviornment', 'achiveing', 'consistant', 'arround', 'studing', and 'i' (uncapitalized). Furthermore, awkward phrasing like 'still stands at zero' indicates a limited control over collocation and natural phrasing. While communication is not severely impeded, these frequent lexical and spelling inaccuracies prevent the essay from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'some people believes', 'other finds', 'student s lacks') and punctuation (comma splices and missing periods, particularly in the introduction and conclusion). There are also capitalization issues and capitalization errors in pronouns and proper nouns. Although the meaning remains generally clear, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors means that error-free sentences are not in the majority, which corresponds to a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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