Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-30
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)
The most important purpose of science should be to make the quality of live better. I will explain
my point of view with reasons and examples in the upcoming paragraphs.
I do agree with the statement and there is a main reason for it. What should it be for. It does help us discover new things. But most of the time that is also to improve the quality of lives in some aspect. The advancement of technology with the devices, with health, with production. It all has helped us achieve a better level of effieciency at some point or in some aspect either in producing food or day to day material or providing quality health.
For example lets just consider the benefits it gave to us in the health sector. In the previous times a lot of the people suffered diseases their whole life or for a long time. They didn't know a lot of cures back then so if somebody was able to work and move they were considered healthy and enduring the pain was a tradition. Nowadays we have cure for every disease. If somebody got pitted acne scars they would have to live with that their whole life while now you can get it treated and get your original skin back and the confidence too.
If I was to summarize this argument I would say the main purpose of science should not be to discover new planets. It can be a purpose but the basic reason should be to improve the quality of lives.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The candidate addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position agreeing with the statement that the main aim of science should be to improve people's lives. Main ideas are presented, such as the advancement of technology and the health sector, and supported with examples like the treatment of acne scars and historical disease management. However, some ideas are somewhat simplistic and under-developed, and the argument occasionally drifts into informal colloquial language such as 'lets just consider'. Overall, the response addresses all parts of the task with a clear position, fitting the criteria for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance and distinct paragraph structure, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, and transitional phrases are weak or absent in places. For instance, sentences like 'What should it be for' disrupt the logical flow and referencing. Paragraphing is used, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs lacks sophistication, frequently relying on repetitive phrasing rather than a flexible range of cohesive devices. These features align the response firmly with Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'efficiency', 'advancement', and 'enduring'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as spelling 'life' as 'live', 'efficiency' as 'effieciency', and using awkward phrasing like 'pitted acne scars' and 'tradition' in the context of enduring pain. While communication is not impeded, these lexical inaccuracies and the limited precision prevent the response from reaching higher band levels. This demonstrates performance consistent with a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response exhibits a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as 'If somebody got pitted acne scars they would have to live with that their whole life while now you can get it treated...'. There are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including fragment sentences like 'What should it be for.' and tense inconsistencies ('In the previous times a lot of the people suffered...'). Although these errors do not severely impede communication, their frequency means that error-free sentences are not in the majority, placing this essay at a Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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