Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-13

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 large amount of students choose to learn english by self study instead of taking formal classes while some belive that with out assistance it is very hard to manage studies.In my opinion i am partially agree because self study help students to learn from different sources and its easy to manage time whereas without assistance it is difficult because of no dead line and without study plans.

The reason students choose to study english independently is to different source . It helps students to donot depend on one person . Students use online platforms to learn english while doing other work. For instance students use youtube and google to learn english with different accent . This help students to learn from any where around the world. The other reason is it is easy to manage time . Students take classes when they are free. It save time because they donot need to take 1 hour class.

On the other hand , without assistance of teacher it is difficult because there is no study plan to follow. Students with no study plans find difficult to manage studies because they have no knowledge from where to start . For example Students learn without plans stuck during studies .They didnot perfom well in exam as a result they got poor grades. The other reason is no dead line . Students waste time and not take studies seriously because they know there are no pressure of exams. For example in university students complete their coursein 4 month because of dead line. It help them to study hard because of short time.

In conclusion , Self study give different sources and easy to manage time where as without guidence there is no plan for study and no deadline to perfome well both are equally valued thats why i partially agree with this view.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the issue and state a clear, consistent position: you “partially agree” because independent study offers flexibility and varied resources, but can be difficult without plans or deadlines. The examples of using YouTube and Google and of students completing a university course within a set period are relevant to your points. However, some ideas are more fully explained than others. The benefits of flexible timing are repeated rather than developed, and the example about poor exam grades does not clearly show how a teacher’s assistance would help. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely how guidance supports progress and make the comparison between independent study and formal teaching more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on the advantages of independent study, a paragraph on its difficulties, and a conclusion. This makes the main line of argument easy to follow. You also use signposts such as “On the other hand,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion.” At times, however, linking is mechanical or unclear. “The other reason” is repeated, and the opening sentence of the second paragraph, “The reason students choose to study english independently is to different source,” does not clearly connect its claim to the explanation that follows. Some sentences run together, while spacing and punctuation make boundaries less clear. Use more precise links between each claim and its example, and check that each paragraph develops one distinct point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “independently,” “assistance,” “study plans,” and “deadline.” The topic-related terms are generally appropriate, and the reader can understand your argument. However, the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate or repetitive, such as “different source,” “no pressure of exams,” and “easy to manage time.” Spelling and word formation also need attention: “belive,” “guidence,” and “perfome” make the writing less clear and polished. Aim to use more precise phrases for the ideas you discuss, and check spelling and collocations carefully. For example, describe students as using “a range of resources” and explain that they may “lack external deadlines.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrast with “whereas” and a reason introduced by “because.” These structures help express your position and the relationship between ideas. However, grammatical control is uneven, and errors sometimes make sentences difficult to read. Examples include “self study help students,” “This help students,” and “It save time,” where subject–verb agreement is incorrect. There are also problems with articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries, as in “there are no pressure of exams” and “For example Students learn without plans stuck during studies.” Practise checking agreement and article use, and separate complete sentences with appropriate punctuation. More accurate control of these patterns would make your argument clearer.

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

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