Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-31

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)

Many individuals believe that the convenience of overseas travel and the spread of different mass communication have made it easier for community to know how individuals live in distinct countries. Althogh this trend has certain drawbacks, I firmly think that its benefits outweigh its drawbacks.

One significant benefit is that individual can understand culture of different regions and they will respect foreign culture. Nowadays, overseas travel is more easier than past. People can visit any country and they get experience of various food and culture. Individuals can live with native public of respective country while traveling and they can get experience of their routine life, how they work and what they eat. For example, tourist can spend time with local residents and this will create awareness among them and they will accept distinct culture. This will improve the economy and overseas relation with various countries. People get chance to explore different culture, food and clothes.

Despite of many merits, there are some potential demerits. One main demerit is that mass media often creates disbelief. People often show attractive part of their life which creates negative impact among other community. They believe it and develop expectations. For example, younger generations believe this false information which they get from social media and they get influenced by clothes and they adopt the popular form of entertainments. Nevertheless, it gives more opportunity to individuals to share and exchange their ideas. Media can give exposure to the culture and it get valued by public. Which can contribute to the society.

In conclusion, While increasing travel and mass communication can result in misunderstanding but their ability to enhance cultural awareness and promote harmony is more valuable. Therefore, the advantages clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding cultural awareness and the potential for misinformation via social media are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the point about 'improving the economy' is mentioned but not explained or supported with specific evidence. The conclusion effectively summarizes the stance, but the overall development lacks the depth required for a higher band. The ideas are generally relevant, but the supporting examples, such as 'tourist can spend time with local residents,' are a bit generic and could be more specific to demonstrate a deeper understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One significant benefit,' 'Despite of many merits,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Which can contribute to the society,' which is a sentence fragment. Additionally, the flow between sentences within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive, relying on simple structures. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the use of cohesive devices could be more varied and sophisticated to improve the overall flow and logical connection between arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range expected at higher levels. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'culture,' 'people,' and 'individuals.' While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'mass communication,' 'cultural awareness'), there are instances of awkward word choice, such as 'native public' instead of 'local population' or 'local residents.' Spelling is generally accurate, but the range of vocabulary is limited, preventing a higher score. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and a wider variety of synonyms to express complex ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'overseas travel is more easier than past' (incorrect comparative form and missing article), 'individual can understand' (missing article), and 'Despite of' (incorrect preposition usage). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The student should focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically articles, prepositions, and comparative adjectives, before attempting more complex structures.

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