Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-08

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)

Nowdays, a large number of students which choose to study english idependently rather then attend a formal course. however, some people belive that students need the assistance of a teacher to manage their students effectively. i agree that studing with a teacher is more effective than studing independently.

on the one hand, one majar reason why students should study with a teacher. is that teachers can help them understand different topics and it is easy to ask questions when you dont understant,and also improving your communications skills. for example a teacher correct students mistakes and show them how to improve their english speaking and writing skills.

on the other hand,studing independently also has some advantages you can save your time and money,and also self study is good because it is esy when you dont understant open youtube and solve this questions, this can be especially useful for students who have busy schedules or other responsibilities. for example, students can study vocabulary, grammer, or reading whenever they have free time they can spend time with their family.

in conclusion, although idndependent study gives students more freedom and allows them to choose when and what to study, i belive that learning with a teacher can explain difficult subjects, correct mistakes, and pr0vide useful guidence,which can help students improve their english more effectively.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that learning with a teacher is more effective, and you acknowledge benefits of independent study. The response is relevant and includes examples, such as teachers correcting mistakes and students studying vocabulary in their free time. However, the reasons are only briefly explained, and the comparison is not fully developed; for instance, the claim that teachers improve communication skills could be supported with a specific explanation or example. The conclusion restates your view but does not add much synthesis. The response also contains 220 words, below the required 250, so there is limited space to develop the ideas. Extend each main point with explanation and a relevant example to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting views, and a conclusion. The signposts “on the one hand,” “on the other hand,” and “in conclusion” help readers follow this basic organisation. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes unclear because several points are joined together without clear sentence boundaries, as in the discussion of saving time and money, using YouTube, and having family time. Some linking is mechanical, and the reference in “solve this questions” is unclear. Use separate sentences to develop one main idea at a time, and make pronouns and transitions precise. This would make the organisation more coherent and cohesion less faulty.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “independently,” “formal course,” “responsibilities,” and “vocabulary.” There are also attempts to express relevant concepts such as “manage their studies” and “correct mistakes.” However, the range is limited and some wording is imprecise or repetitive, particularly repeated uses of “study” and “students.” Several spelling errors are noticeable, including “Nowdays,” “idependently,” “understant,” and “grammer,” and these can make reading less smooth. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “solve this questions” and “improving your communications skills.” Build a wider set of accurate education-related collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, including a contrast between teacher-led and independent learning and a concluding “although” clause. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and frequent errors affect clarity. For example, “one major reason … is that teachers can help” is incorrectly broken by a full stop, while “a teacher correct students mistakes and show them” has problems with agreement and sentence structure. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, with several sentences beginning in lowercase and clauses joined by commas. Practise forming complete sentences, controlling subject–verb agreement, and punctuating clauses. More accurate sentence patterns would make your ideas easier to follow.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.