Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-02

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)

In many countries, girls and boys are studying in mixed school while some people believed that if they are study from separate schools, this would be more beneficial for them. In this essay I will talk about that point which is better and give my ideas.

One of the main advantages of study from separate schools is that students will be more focused on their study because there is no opposite gender to distract them. Sometimes teenagers are more interested in social relationship, than their study, which may affect their concentration. Moreover, in single sex school students feel more confident because of psychology says that if we are surrounded by same gender, we feel more confidence so that can be the reason why single sex school is better. For example, a shy student may be more willing to answer questions and participate in discussions without worrying about how students of the opposite sex will react.

However, I believe that co-educational schools offers greater benefit overall. First, studying with both boys and girls developes better communication skill and good teamwork. Students are able to learn how we should respect our opposite sex. In adult life they learns some new things about other gender, it will help them to be a good and gentle person.

In conclusion, single sex schools provide more focused learning environment for some students. I believe that co educational schools are more significant because of they learn how to be socialise. Studying together can improve communication and encourage equality.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both perspectives and presenting a clear position in favour of co-educational schools, meeting the criteria for a mid-level band. However, some ideas are under-developed or lack full extension. For example, the arguments regarding distraction and student confidence in single-sex schools are introduced but not fully supported with deeper explanations or concrete examples beyond a brief mention of a shy student. Similarly, the benefits of teamwork and communication in mixed schools are stated simply without elaborating on how these skills actually manifest in an educational setting. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to extend main points with more detailed explanations and fully developed supporting evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays an overall coherent arrangement with a clear, logical progression of ideas from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different viewpoints, as seen when transitioning from the single-sex school arguments in the second paragraph to the counter-argument regarding co-educational schools in the third. However, cohesion at times feels mechanical or faulty due to repetitive phrasing and basic linking words like 'First,' 'Moreover,' and 'In conclusion.' Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'because of they learn how to be socialise.' To move to a higher band, the writer must employ a wider, more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the writer's basic message, which places it firmly at the middle band. The response attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'co-educational,' 'concentration,' and 'participate,' but these attempts are often accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, form, and collocation. Examples include 'are studying in mixed school' instead of 'schools,' 'study from separate schools' rather than 'studying in separate schools,' and 'developes better communication skill.' There are also awkward phrasings like 'social relationship' and 'opposite sex' used repetitively. To improve lexical resource, the writer needs to expand their range of vocabulary, ensure accurate word forms and plurals, and pay closer attention to natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writing demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying on a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though attempts at complex structures are frequently faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, tenses, subject-verb agreement, and articles. For instance, the opening sentence contains tense inconsistency ('are studying' mixed with 'some people believed') and article omission ('in mixed school'). Other notable errors include 'if they are study,' 'psychology says that if we are surrounded... we feel more confidence,' and 'in adult life they learns.' Punctuation and prepositions within grammatical patterns also show persistent inaccuracy. To reach a higher standard, the writer must increase control over complex sentence patterns and significantly reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors.

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