Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-16

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)

Nowadays, a large amount of students prefer to study English on their own in lieu of a formal course. However, its difficult for learners to manage their studies without the help of teachers. It has become an important issue in society. In my opinion, I believe that everyone needs help from their teachers in every field of life.

To begin with, one of the main reasons is that tutors play a significant role in shaping pupils' character. This is because teacher has professional skills of teaching they know better how to teach the students in an effective way . For instance, teachers have years of experience of teaching they interact with students from different backgrounds that is why they are familiar with the problems which students find very difficult. As a result, it brings some positive changes in students' personality.

Furthermore, another important reason is that self-study has some good benefits. But it requires some teachers assistance for better understanding. For example, in developing countries undergraduates likes to do self-study but they also prefer teachers assistance this thing helps them to clear their concepts in a better way. This can also help them use their time more effectively. Therefore, masters can make learning easier and more effective.

In conclusion, i believe that self-study brings some positive changes in learners' character. But we cannot ignore the power of teachers and their useful skills regarding teaching. Without the help of them its impossible to understand everything on our own. It benefits the individuals and a society as a whole.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is broadly clear: you argue that teacher support is important even when students study independently. You also acknowledge a benefit of self-study, noting that it can help learners use time effectively. However, the response only partly answers the question because it focuses heavily on teachers’ general value and character-building rather than explaining specifically why independent learners struggle to manage their studies. The point about teachers’ experience is relevant, but it needs a clearer example of how guidance helps with planning, motivation, or correcting mistakes. Develop each reason with a direct link to managing English study, and state more precisely how far you agree or disagree.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphs are generally organised around separate points, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “Furthermore,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the broad direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the first body paragraph moves from teaching skills to students’ backgrounds and then to personality without fully explaining the links. The contrast “Furthermore… But” also makes the relationship between self-study’s benefits and the need for assistance feel abrupt. Some references, such as “this thing” and “it,” are vague. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and make each paragraph develop one central idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for education, including “formal course,” “self-study,” “professional skills,” “effective,” and “undergraduates.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main argument, and some phrases show an attempt to be precise. However, the range is limited and several expressions are awkward or repetitive, such as “teachers assistance,” “clear their concepts,” and “the help of them.” “Character” and “personality” are also repeated without clearly expressing the specific learning benefit. Choose more natural collocations and vary the language used to describe guidance and progress. For example, refer to teachers’ feedback, study plans, learning difficulties, or understanding concepts more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including explanations introduced by “because” and examples introduced by “For instance.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur often enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “teacher has professional skills” (missing an article and clearer sentence structure), “undergraduates likes” (subject–verb agreement), and “its difficult” (missing apostrophe in “it’s”). Several sentences join independent ideas without appropriate punctuation, particularly the sentence beginning “For instance, teachers have years of experience.” Capitalisation is also inconsistent in “i believe.” Practise accurate sentence boundaries, articles, agreement, and apostrophes, then check each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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