Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-15

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 number of learners find it better to gain knowledge of english subject independently instead of attend a formal course. However, pupils find it difficult to manage on their own without any help of teacher. I completely agree with this statement because students need some guidance of their teachers in every aspect of life.

On the one hand, self-study brings many benefits. It creates skills in individual to make a better career. For instance in many developing countries students are rely on self-study to enhance their skills. it brings some positive changes in individuals lives.Because of this self- study helps learners manage their time and cost without the need to take formal classes.

On the other hand, rely only on self-study causes serious damage. Sometimes, a large number of students who only rely on self-study missed the advantage to talk or collab with their peers. This leads to nervousness or insecurity. studying alone saves cost and time but it badly affects the individuals overall performance. To illustrate, In developed countries undergraduates prefer to study independently but they also take classes on weekends just to stay active and maintain confidence.Additionally, institutions or study with peers plays a crucial role in overall development.

In conclusion, self-study plays a significant role in individuals development. But it effects the learners overall capability. In my opinion we should not only focus on self-study. We should take some classes to maintain the mental health and good communicational skills so that it benefits the individual and society as a whole.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you completely agree that learners need teacher support, and the response considers both the benefits of independent study and the difficulties it can create. The points about managing time and cost, missing peer interaction, and losing confidence are relevant to the question. However, the discussion of the benefits is not fully connected to your main argument, and several claims need more explanation. For example, the reference to students in developing countries relying on self-study does not show specifically how teacher guidance helps them manage their learning. The example about undergraduates taking weekend classes is also broad. Develop one or two examples in more detail and explain how they support your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The use of “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the main stages of the argument. However, some links between ideas are mechanical or unclear. In the first body paragraph, “It creates skills” and “it brings some positive changes” do not specify exactly what “it” refers to, while “Because of this” does not clearly follow from the preceding point. The second paragraph also moves quickly from peer interaction to performance and then to institutions. Use clearer references and add linking explanations so each point leads naturally to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for discussing education, including “self-study,” “guidance,” “insecurity,” “overall performance,” and “communicational skills.” These choices make the topic and your main concerns clear. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or informal, which limits precision: “creates skills in individual,” “collab with their peers,” and “badly affects” are examples. There are also spelling and word-form issues, such as “english,” “individuals lives,” and “effects” where “affects” is intended. Aim for more natural academic combinations and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise vocabulary would help express your ideas without changing their meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “because” and a contrast introduced by “but.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in sentence structure and grammatical forms occur across the response. For example, “students are rely” has an incorrect verb construction, and “students … missed the advantage” does not use a suitable tense for a general point. Articles and agreement also need attention in phrases such as “without any help of teacher” and “institutions or study with peers plays.” Punctuation and sentence boundaries are inconsistent, particularly where a new sentence begins with a lowercase letter or ideas run together. Review verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence punctuation.

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.