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 lot of student now prefer to learn english language on thier own than to go to go study the course in an institution. Nevertheless, these individuals experience some difficulties when it comes to managing their learning process. I strongly agree because this method of learning is unreliable and it substandard.

Self study amongst student is a unreliable method of imbibing knowledge. These English student read a number of textbook but they do not have the expertise to pick what right, In addition, they can not vet the authority of the authors of these book and that is the where a formal institution exert superiority. School uses curriculum which are chose course materials by ensuring they are well written and contain what the learner needs. Without this process, the adequacy of the material cannot be determined. For Example,there are many language authors who write books nowadays for money without having the required knowledge, a student who learning independently can purchase such material but one who is in an institution is less likely to do so because the school will have recommended books.

Independent learning create problem for the student because leads to substandard knowledge acqusition, When people learn on their own their no proper assessment,the person may think he or she has acquired what is necessary because they cannot properly recognise their weaknesses. For example, in a school continuous assessment reveal the learners' weakness but when such a person schools on their own they won't be able to test the,selves or detect deficient areas and at the end of the day they might complete such learning process and not be up to standard.

In conclusion, A good number of person decide to be self taught than that go to recognised institutions and they encounter problem with their learning I believe they have problems managing their studies because this learning method is unreliable and substandard.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you strongly agree that independent learners can struggle to manage their studies, and both body paragraphs give relevant reasons. The first explains the difficulty of judging the quality of books, while the second discusses the lack of assessment and feedback; the examples of unsuitable materials and school assessments help support these points. This fully addresses the task at a solid level. To make the response more complete and approach the next level, develop the consequences and examples more precisely—for instance, explain how a learner might identify a reliable English resource or what specific weakness a teacher could detect. The conclusion repeats your position, but could synthesise the two reasons more clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs with distinct reasons, and a conclusion. The progression from unreliable materials to the absence of assessment is logical, and connectors such as “Nevertheless,” “In addition,” and “For example” help signal relationships. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or unclear. The second body paragraph begins “Independent learning create problem… because leads…,” which makes the relationship between the claim and explanation difficult to follow. Some sentences are also overloaded, particularly the long explanation of school curricula and recommended books. Use clearer topic sentences, divide long sentences, and make references such as “such a person” or “this method” more precise to improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to education, including “curriculum,” “assessment,” “authority,” “adequacy,” and “weaknesses,” and these choices help communicate your main ideas. There is also some attempt to use more formal language, such as “knowledge acquisition.” However, the range is limited by repeated general terms such as “student,” “learning,” and “problem,” while several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward: “imbibing knowledge,” “exert superiority,” and “substandard knowledge acquisition.” Spelling and word-form errors, including “thier,” “acqusition,” and “self taught,” also reduce precision. Build a more natural academic vocabulary for discussing independent study, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “when,” and “but,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction sometimes make the reader work to understand the point. Examples include “A lot of student now prefer,” “Self study amongst student is a unreliable method,” and “Independent learning create problem… because leads.” The sentence beginning “School uses curriculum which are chose course materials” also contains several grammatical problems. Practise checking subject–verb agreement, singular and plural forms, articles, and complete clause structure. Breaking complex sentences into shorter, correctly formed units would improve accuracy and clarity.

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.