Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-21
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The most important aim of science should be to improve people’s lives. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give reasons for your answers and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
In recent years, there has been considerable debate about whether the major goal of science is to help people out in their lives, or the purpose should be otherwise. While some people believe science has other significant problems to deal with, I strongly believe that citizen must take advantage from the advancements of science.
The primary reason is the discovery of wide range of vaccines eligible of treating millions of patients, not only the medical facilities but also offering them with mandatory precautions. This advancement has also payed a key role in surgeries, with the invention of machinery and surgical tools, it has become easier for the operators to perform their duty with precision, saving millions of lives across the globe. However, science has also benefitted us in the military sector by coming up with advanced weapons made with the help of engineering. Science is vital in the military, it drives the creation of advanced weapons, communication tools, protective gear, and medical treatments.
Furthermore, if we do not take out the best from what science is offering us, we would never be able to succeed. Consequently, restricting science's purpose to practical improvement risks overlooking the long-term value of theoretical research. For instance, Einstein's theory of relativity revolved around space and time and it was showcased as a theory back then. However, scientists considered his studies and brought out the most from it by creating GPS, while the concept of relativity was about time, people also extracted some useful information from it and making it the base for their own laws of physics. This shows how one concept of science can benefit the next generations.
In conclusion, I firmly believe that the advancement of science can improve people's lives in several aspects. Whether its medical or military, science is always involved in practical life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that science should improve lives. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. While the medical examples are relevant, the paragraph regarding the military is somewhat contradictory, as it mentions military advancement without clearly linking it to the core argument of 'improving' lives. Furthermore, the third paragraph introduces a counter-argument about theoretical research but fails to fully reconcile it with the main thesis, leading to a slight lack of focus. To reach a higher band, ensure that every point made directly supports your central argument and provides more depth rather than just listing examples.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'The primary reason,' 'Furthermore,' and 'In conclusion.' However, the flow between ideas is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the transition in the second paragraph from medical advancements to military applications is abrupt and lacks a smooth logical bridge. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'the purpose should be otherwise' in the introduction, which is vague. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more sophisticated language like 'precision,' 'theoretical research,' and 'advancements.' However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'help people out in their lives,' 'take advantage from,' and 'payed a key role' (spelling error). The phrase 'take out the best from' is also non-idiomatic. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct context to convey meaning more precisely.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'citizen must take advantage' (missing article/pluralization), 'vaccines eligible of treating' (incorrect preposition), and 'making it the base' (parallelism error). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some comma splices, such as 'Science is vital in the military, it drives the creation...' which should be separated by a semicolon or a conjunction. Increasing the accuracy of basic grammar and refining complex sentence construction will help improve this score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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