Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-18
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 is widely believed that because of international travelling and mass media, it has become more convenient to get connected with people across the world. I firmly believe that the merits of this development outweigh the demerits becuase now we can easily make friends, know different type of general knowledge and remain in touched with near and dear ones.
On the one hand, due to foreign trips it has become more easier to know about history and traditional culture of different countries. In addition, we can learn about their food habit and local culture. For example, if we go to Nepal, we can see how people make momos, which is a famous fast food item in Nepal. Moreover, we can learn about how they survive in cold weather. Now coming to the part of mass media, which has now become a great source of getting information and news. In the present time, we can easily know about the lifestyle of our favourite celebreties like what they are eating, in which gym they are going and also the news about their upcomming movies. As a result, we can easily get connected with each other. Furthermore, through social media like Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat we can easily call or text to our friends and families. Therefore, it has made our life much easier and comfortable and we need less time to get any kind of information.
On the other hand, because of mass media and international travel many problems are arising. Because of international travel, many grave crimes are occurring like slumggling of gold, money and platinum are increasing day by day. On top of that many viral diseases are spreading rapidly. For instance, in the time of COVID 19, the corona virus was spreaded from China due to travelling through passengers. In terms of mass media, many flase news can be spreaded regarding policital and social. Furthermore, our privacy can be hampered due to this.
In conclusion, while people many vary in their opinions, I think that the positive aspects of international travel and spread of mass media overshadow their negative aspects.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of international travel and mass media, and the student clearly states their position in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are generally relevant, such as mentioning cultural exchange, tourism benefits, and the downsides like crime, disease spread, and privacy issues. However, the development of these ideas is sometimes limited and superficial. For instance, the example of eating momos in Nepal is rather simplistic and illustrative of basic travel experiences rather than deep sociological impacts. The arguments would benefit from greater extension and deeper elaboration. Nevertheless, the position remains clear throughout, earning a solid Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each side of the argument, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate advantages and disadvantages. However, cohesive devices are at times mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression within the first body paragraph becomes slightly cluttered by jumping abruptly from travel to mass media ('Now coming to the part of mass media...'). Overall, the structural framework is sufficient for a Band 6.0 rating.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases such as 'demerits', 'grave crimes', and 'viral diseases'. However, there are notable lexical errors and spelling mistakes throughout the text, including 'becuase' (because), 'travelling' (travel), 'food habit' (food habits), 'celebreties' (celebrities), 'upcomming' (upcoming), 'slumggling' (smuggling), 'flase' (false), and 'policital' (political). While these errors do not severely impede communication, their frequency prevents the essay from achieving a higher band. The lexical range is minimally sufficient for Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over clause structures (e.g., 'It is widely believed that because of...'). However, there are frequent grammatical and mechanical errors throughout the essay. Examples of errors include 'more easier' (double comparative), 'remain in touched' (incorrect participle form), 'in which gym they are going' (preposition placement error), 'COVID 19, the corona virus was spreaded' (passive voice error and non-standard past participle 'spreaded'), and 'while people many vary' (word form error). These errors cause some irritation for the reader, though they rarely impede overall meaning, placing the response firmly at Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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