Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-18
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)
It has been universally acknowledged that the ease of international travel and the widespread use of mass media all over the globe have made it more possible than ever for people to know how other people live in other regions. Although the main merits are stronger international relationship and educational benefits, there are several demerits of this trend too.
On the one hand, one of the chief benefits of this trend is the international relationship. To elaborate, understanding different culture can improve communication between countries. Another point that can be added in its favour is the educational benefits. This is due to the fact that international trade and mass media provide information about history and social practises. One final thing that cannot be overlooked is the cultural awareness. To justify, people can learn about different traditions,culture and lifestyle which promotes mutual understanding.
On the one hand, one of the major disadvantages of this trend is the cultural differences, which is due to the fact that people gradually abandon their culture and adopt different culture and traditions. The rearmost coherent drawbacks is over tourism, which means that international tourism can cause overcrowding and pollution, damage popular tourist destinat.
To conclude, even though there are negative aspects that oppose the international travel and mass media, the main positive aspects are international relationship, educational benefits and cultural awareness. Therefore, the trend of mass media should continue as it can benefit the society and people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages, but it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which negatively impacts the score. While the position is clear, the development of ideas is limited. For instance, the points regarding 'international relationship' and 'educational benefits' are mentioned but lack specific examples or detailed evidence to support the claims. The conclusion is also somewhat repetitive. To improve, you should expand on your arguments with concrete examples or personal knowledge and ensure the essay meets the length requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand' and 'To conclude'. However, there are errors in the use of these devices; for example, you used 'On the one hand' for both the advantages and the disadvantages paragraphs, which is incorrect. Additionally, some transitions feel mechanical or repetitive. To improve, ensure that you use a wider variety of linking words and ensure they are used logically to connect your ideas, rather than just acting as signposts for paragraphs.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You use some repetitive phrasing, such as 'international relationship' and 'educational benefits' multiple times. There are also some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'practises' (should be 'practices' in this context) and 'destinat' (incomplete word). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and collocations, and ensure that you proofread your work to avoid incomplete words or basic spelling errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'the rearmost coherent drawbacks is' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'oppose the international travel' (preposition/verb collocation issue). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to affect the overall flow. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that your complex sentences are constructed accurately. Practising proofreading for common grammatical slips will also help you achieve a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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