Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-13

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many parts of the world girls and boys are educated together in co-educational or mixed schools. Some people think that girls and boys benefit from being educated separately in single-sex schools. To what extent do you agree with this view?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience. Write at least 250 words.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Students with opposite genders studying in the same school is a hot topic discussed for a long time among people. Some people believe that rather than this co-education, students will benefit more from being given education in segregated schools. I largely disagree with this view, and my opinion is because of the reasons elucidated below.

Having early exposure and the know-how of how to communicate and interact with the other gender is a major argument in favour of same-sex school. But the financial costs of building separate ones is a less discussed one. As important it is to have schools, building one is not a cheap task. Construction and management of one school takes quite a bit of monetary resources. In any place, considering the resources available, if a school is reserved for one gender, it might lead to less resources available, or in the worst case, no school for the other gender. I have seen it firsthand, where in a village a school was constructed, but because of cultural beliefs the people decided to keep it segregated and to build a new one for the other gender when resources become available, which never did.

Religious and cultural practices are one of the most important consideration when it comes to the arguments of the believers of gender-specific schools. A lot of customs don't favour the traditional co-education, which leads its followers to believe in gender segregation. Apart from practices, many people don't feel comfortable for their children to study in same-sex schools. Natural attraction of the opposite sex has the ability to steer children from the original purpose of the school, i.e., to learn, they say.

In conclusion, both of the sides have their arguments for their beliefs, but for me personally, I think that same-sex schools with highly controlled environment is the way to go ahead in today's world. Though religious and customary instructs are important, I believe you have to move forward with the need of the time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear overall position ('I largely disagree with this view'). However, there is a notable confusion regarding terminology in the second and fourth paragraphs, where the student seems to mix up 'same-sex schools' with 'co-education' or contradicts their own stance. For example, in the conclusion, the writer states 'I think that same-sex schools with highly controlled environment is the way to go ahead', which directly contradicts their stated disagreement with single-sex education in the introduction. Because of this internal contradiction and slight under-development of main arguments, the task response is affected.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is generally coherent with an overall logical arrangement. The student attempts to use paragraphs to structure ideas, with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing distinct points (financial costs and cultural practices), and a conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'Having early exposure and the know-how of how to communicate and interact with the other gender is a major argument in favour of same-sex school' contains a logical contradiction since early exposure is actually an argument for co-education, not single-sex schooling. Referencing is occasionally unclear, which disrupts the smooth progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts some less common phrasing such as 'elucidated below', 'monetary resources', and 'cultural beliefs'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, most prominently confusing 'same-sex school' with 'co-educational school' throughout the body and conclusion. Additionally, phrases like 'the need of the time' feel slightly unnatural. While communication is not severely impeded, these lexical inaccuracies restrict the score to a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like 'In any place, considering the resources available, if a school is reserved for one gender, it might lead to less resources available...' There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'As important it is to have schools' instead of 'As important as it is', and 'customary instructs' instead of 'customs' or 'instructions'. Punctuation and minor errors are present, but the majority of sentences are understandable and do not impede overall communication.

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

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