Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-27

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)

In recent times, there has been an argument that an enormous number of individuals want to study English independently instead of attending formal classes. However, students often find it a challenge to persue studies without help of a teacher.

The reason for choosing self-study rather than attending formal classes, between many students, is that it does not require a certain schedule and they can study any time of the day according to their free time. Nowadays, many students have to earn money to support their famalies and to meet their educational expenses. In addition, most of times, their work hours and classes are held at the same time and they have to choose one on the other. Eventually, they often miss the classes and waste the fee they deposited on admittion to certain colleges and academies.

However, while studying alone without the assesment of a teacher they find it difficult to manage their studies because they are not aware of every grammer rule. In the past, majority of people doesn't know grammer rules and accuracy. So, it does not make any difference among people to understand one another. In contrast, nowadays, many people knows grammar rules and accuracy. As a result, even a slight mistake in grammar can change the whole sentence. Additionaly, there are many rules of grammar today. Therefore, students want their teacher's help to understand every rule deeply.

In conclusion, I would say that a huge amount of people are studying English individually to fit their time table and save money but often times they face difficulties in understanding the English rules.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the topic by explaining why students choose independent study and why they may struggle without a teacher. The examples about work schedules, family expenses and grammar support are relevant. However, the question asks how far you agree or disagree, and your position is only implied: the conclusion says students face difficulties, but does not clearly state whether you agree with the claim or to what extent. Some reasoning is also under-developed, particularly the comparison between past and present knowledge of grammar. State your degree of agreement directly in the introduction and conclusion, then explain how teacher guidance helps students manage goals, identify errors or maintain progress.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on reasons for self-study, a paragraph on its difficulties, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “In addition,” “However,” and “As a result” help signal the relationship between ideas. Some connections are less clear or feel mechanical, though. For example, the shift from people in the past not knowing grammar to people today knowing it does not clearly explain why independent learners struggle. The conclusion also repeats the main points rather than bringing the argument to a clear judgement. Improve progression by making each paragraph develop one central point and using explicit references to connect examples to your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “independently,” “formal classes,” “assessment,” and “accuracy,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, several spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural phrases reduce control: “persue,” “famalies,” “admittion,” and “most of times” are examples. Some word choices are also awkward, such as “choose one on the other” and “a huge amount of people.” These do not prevent the reader from following the argument, but they make parts less fluent. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for education and study, such as “choose one over the other” and “a large number of people.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause beginning “while studying alone” and sentences linked with “because” and “as a result.” The overall meaning is usually clear, but errors in agreement, articles and verb forms occur in several places. For instance, “majority of people doesn't know” should use a plural verb and an appropriate tense, while “many people knows” also has subject–verb disagreement. In “without help of a teacher,” an article is needed. These errors sometimes make the argument less smooth, although the reader can generally understand it. Practise checking each sentence’s subject and verb, and review article use in common phrases.

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