Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-12
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The ease of international travel and the spread of various kinds of mass media all over the world have made it more possible than ever for people to know how other people live in other countries.
Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence. Write at least 250 words.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
By means of social media and travelling you can learn about the living standard of life all across the world. Some people believe that this development is beneficial whereas other thinks compeletly opposite. In my opinion its benefits outshines its disadvantages. In this easy I will explore my belief on social media being useful to explore indiviual's life across the world.
By social media you can get to know the experience of anybody who visit that certain country. How he felt there, how was his interaction with the people and what had left him astonished. Similarly you can get knowledge about there culture and beliefs, which relegion they practice and many more. This knowledge highly benefits students and youth in order to find best educational institutes and job sectors globaly. A student can also select which country is suitable for his degree and where he can adjust easily. For instance, many student go to foreign countries to persue their education but many of them felt uncomfortable or difficult to accept cultural shocks.
In same order, by travelling a person gets highly personal experience of that country's culture and nation. Based on that, he could easily judge weather he likes that country to be its next home or not.
All in all, travel and social media posts are highly beneficial to know about a country and its people, despite of having some odds. It gives you a glimpes of what the world looks alike and which country is suitable for your interst.
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 response addresses the prompt by discussing the benefits of international travel and media, but it lacks a balanced exploration of the disadvantages. While you state your opinion clearly, the 'disadvantages' are mentioned only briefly as 'some odds' without specific examples or analysis. To reach a higher band, you must provide a more comprehensive discussion of the negative aspects, such as the potential for cultural misunderstanding or the superficiality of social media portrayals. The ideas provided are relevant but remain somewhat underdeveloped, particularly in the third paragraph, which is quite brief.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, the phrase 'In same order' is used incorrectly to transition between ideas. Additionally, some sentences lack logical flow, such as the transition between the benefits of social media and the specific example of students choosing universities. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several spelling errors, such as 'compeletly', 'relegion', 'persue', 'weather' (instead of 'whether'), and 'glimpes'. Furthermore, some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'living standard of life' or 'the world looks alike'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and double-check your spelling of common terms. You rely on basic vocabulary, which limits your ability to convey complex ideas with nuance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('other thinks', 'many student go'), incorrect preposition usage ('By social media' instead of 'Through social media'), and missing articles. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.