Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-25

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)

Nowadays, co-educational or mixed schools are very common in different parts of the world, where girls and boys are taught in separated classrooms, separated schools and in different time schedules. A few people argue that, both boys and girls get advantages from being educated separately in single sex-schools. I partially agree that, students can get some benefits from single-sex schools, but in the long run they will suffer as it may create the lack of co-existence between boys and girls.

In a single-sex school, students can have better opportunities to learn than in a combined school, and there are a few reasons behind this. To begin with, when girls and boys study the same school or in same class, they feel shy to ask any questions.This is because, students feel that it will degrade their self-respect. By contrast, if students get co-education facility, then it will give them the scope to learn more, and it will also give them a positive enviornment to broaden their horizon of mind. For instance, it is found in some surveys that, adolescent boys and girls are less likely to share classrooms, because it gives them inferiority.

However, if boys and girls are taught in different classrooms and in different schools, it will tend to create chaos. Such as, when a boy always has the habit of learning in a boys school, then he will completely lack the self confidence to work in a team where female population also exist. Due to this, students will also lack proffesionalism and self esteem. For example, in debate competition, students who belong to co-education, face difficulties to adapt, as they are donot have the habit of co-existence. Furthermore, male and female students may also create disrespectful behaviour among each other, as they donot share same space, which will create chaos later.

To sum up, single-sex schools may have some merits, but it has more demerits. Therefore, the responsible authorities must ensure students to give a peaceful, learning and co-extstent environment, where they can thrive properly.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear, qualified position: single-sex education may offer benefits, but you believe its longer-term effects on coexistence are harmful. The response stays focused on the topic and includes reasons and examples, such as students feeling shy about asking questions and difficulty working in mixed teams. However, the discussion is only partly convincing because the first body paragraph contradicts itself: it begins by supporting single-sex schools, then says co-education gives students more scope to learn. The survey claim is vague, and the debate example does not clearly demonstrate the point. Develop each side consistently, explain the mechanisms behind your claims, and use specific, relevant examples to make your position more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “However” and “To sum up” help identify stages in the argument. Nevertheless, progression is not consistently clear. The first body paragraph shifts from the advantages of single-sex schools to the benefits of co-education, which makes the relationship between its ideas confusing. Some links are also mechanical or imprecise: “Such as” introduces a sentence fragment, while “Furthermore” adds a claim that is not clearly connected to the preceding example. Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain and illustrate it in sequence. Use referencing and transitions to show the exact relationship between ideas rather than relying mainly on signposting phrases.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt topic-related vocabulary, including “co-educational,” “self-confidence,” “professionalism” and “co-existence,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. However, the range is limited by repeated wording such as “students,” “create” and “lack,” while several choices or collocations are inaccurate: “broaden their horizon of mind,” “female population” and “peaceful, learning and co-extstent environment” sound unnatural or unclear. Spelling errors such as “enviornment,” “proffesionalism” and “donot” also reduce control. Aim for precise, natural combinations—for example, “broaden their horizons” and “work effectively in mixed teams”—and check spelling and word forms carefully. This would make your ideas easier to follow and give the vocabulary more flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and attempts at complex sentences, including clauses with “when,” “because” and “as,” so there is some structural variety. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors recur in agreement, articles, sentence construction and punctuation. Examples include “students who belong to co-education, face difficulties to adapt,” where the clause is awkwardly formed and punctuated, and “they are donot have the habit,” which has an incorrect verb construction. “When a boy always has the habit of learning in a boys school” also shows problems with article and possessive forms. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to interpret. Practise building accurate clauses first, then combine them, and proofread for sentence boundaries, agreement and articles.

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