Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-29

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)

Many educational institutions provide co-education. While a lot of people argue that it should not be recommended, I partially agree and disagree with this point of view because it has a lot of variables to consider.

In many religious countries like Afghanistan, it is forbidden to have mixed schools. They believe that it is for safety reasons and that students feel more safe and comfortable around their own gender. It also puts the schools reputation much more better and removes any sort of accidents. For example, the gender based bullying stops and people can feel safer when they take their education with their own gender friends. This is a lot more important for religious kids who are not allowed to be in harmful activities and sometimes not even are allowed to be good friends with other gender. This protects and gives them some boundaries.

On the other hand, a lot of countries don't even have separate schools for different genders. They believe that schools should be about learning and that includes the learning how to behave in the real world with all genders. This brings equality and teaches kids from a young age how to react to different people. For example, they learn that regardless of gender, they are supposed to be kind and respectful towards their class fellows.

In conclusion, I believe that both approaches have their own reasons and arguments to hold on their own beliefs but I think that at school age kids should be familiar to learn with co-education or mixed schools.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both sides of the co-education versus single-sex schooling debate and states a clear, albeit nuanced, position ('I partially agree and disagree with this point of view'). The main ideas are relevant and supported with explanations and examples, such as reference to religious countries like Afghanistan and the social benefits of mixing genders in schools. However, some arguments lack deep development, such as the claim regarding 'accidents' or 'harmful activities', which remain slightly vague. The overall coverage aligns well with Band 6.0 descriptors, where all parts of the task are addressed, but certain ideas remain under-developed or general.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, body paragraphs for and against single-sex schools, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'While a lot of people', 'In many religious countries', and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally repetitive or mechanical, particularly in sentence transitions. For instance, the conclusion attempts to summarise the arguments but is somewhat tangled in expression ('arguments to hold on their own beliefs'). Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, supporting a clear logical progression overall, consistent with a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'educational institutions', 'co-education', 'religious countries', and 'equality'. However, there are noticeable limitations and awkward collocations, such as 'puts the schools reputation much more better' (grammatically flawed and lexically weak) and 'take their education with their own gender friends'. While attempts are made to use less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Spelling and word choice errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure. Examples of complex sentences include conditional or subordinate clauses like 'While a lot of people argue that it should not be recommended...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text, such as 'feels more safe' (instead of safely), 'puts the schools reputation much more better' (redundant comparative construction), and 'kids should be familiar to learn with co-education'. Punctuation and article usage are also occasionally faulty. These errors rarely impede overall communication, reflecting the characteristics of Band 5.5 to 6.0; given the successful communication of meaning despite errors, a Band 6.0 is appropriate.

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

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