Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-22
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)
NOWADAYS, INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL AND WIDESPREAD USES OF MEDIA HAVE MADE IT MUCH EASIER FOR PEOPLETO LEARN ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE AND CULTIRE OF OF PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRY. ALTHOUGH, THE DEVELOPMENT HAVE SOME DISADVANTAGE, I BRLIVE THAT ITS ADNANTAGE ARE GREATER BECAUSE IT PROMPTES CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND PROVIDING VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD.
THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF MEDIA ARE BETTER CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING. PEOPLE LEARN ABOUT TRADITIONS, FOOD, FESTIVAL, LANGUAGE AND LIFESTYLES. THIS CAN REDUCE CULTURALK MISUNDERSTANDING. ANOTHER IS MORE EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES, TRAVEL EXPLORES PEOPLE TO DIFFERENT EDUCATION SYSTEM AND WAY OF LIVING. MASS MEDIA PROVIDE DOCUMENTORIES, NEWS AND ONLINECONTENT FROM AROUND THE WORLD IT ALSO HELP TO BULD INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP. FOR EXAMPLE SOMEONE WHO WATCHES DOCUMENTARIES ABOUT JAPAN MAY UNDERSTAND JAPNESE COSTUME BEFORE VISTING. THEREFORE, SOCIAL MEDIA HAD MANY ADVANTAGES WHICH MAY HELP PEOLE TO SURVIVE OR MAKE KNOWLEDGEABLE.
IT MAY HAVE ADVANTAGE BUT ALSO HAVE SEVERAL DISADVANTAGES, ONE MAJOR NEGATIVE IMPACT IS CULTURAL TRADITIONS MAY BECOME WEAKER. PEOPLE MAY COPY FOREIGNS LIFESTYLES, FASHION AND BEHAVIOUE. YOUNG PEOPLE MAY GRADUALLY LOSS INTEREST IN TRADITIONAL COSTOMS. ANOTHER DISADVANTAGE IS MASS MEDIA CAN SHOW AN UNREALISTIC IMAGE. PEOPLE ARE EXPLORING UNNECERRIES IN SOCIAL MEDIA WHICHCHNAGE MINDSET OF PEOPLE. SOCIAL MEDIA OR TELEVISION SOMETIMES SHOW ONLU WEALTHY OR ATTRACTIVE ASPECT OF OTHER COUNTRIES. THIS CAN CREATE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS ABOUT LIFE. FOR EXAMPLE SOME PEOPLE TRAVELL TO ANOTHER COUNTRY AFTER WATCH ON MEDIA TO FEEL THE SAME VIEW BUT THEY WILL BE UNABLE TO GET THAT WHICH MAKE THEM DISAPOINTED. THEREFORE, MEDIA ALSO HAVE SEVERAL DISADVANTES.
OVERALL, THE DISADVANTAGE MAINLY INVOLVE CULTUREL TOLERANCE AND UNREALISTIC PRECEPTIONS,WHILE THE ADVANTAGE INCLUDE EDUCATION, CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING, TOLERANCE AND INTERNATIONLA COOPERATION. THEREFORE, THE OVERALLIMPACT IS MORE POSITIVE RATHER THAN NEGATIVE.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of international travel and mass media, culminating in a clear overall position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Ideas are relevant, exploring cultural understanding, education, and international relationships on the positive side, alongside cultural erosion and unrealistic expectations on the negative side. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive, with brief points and list-like sentences (e.g., 'traditions, food, festival, language and lifestyles'). The arguments are adequately supported with a brief example regarding documentaries about Japan, but greater depth and more fully extended explanations are needed to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed appropriately.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement and is divided into four distinct paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. Logical progression is attempted, but transitions between ideas are sometimes mechanical or abrupt, relying heavily on basic cohesive markers like 'THEREFORE,' and 'ANOTHER DISADVANTAGE IS'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun use in 'ITS ADNANTAGE ARE GREATER'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the arguments, but paragraph internal cohesion lacks fluency and sophisticated connective devices, placing it firmly in the mid-range.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'cultural understanding', 'documentaries', and 'unrealistic expectations'. However, there are frequent spelling errors ('CULTIRE', 'OF OF', 'BRLIVE', 'ADNANTAGE', 'CULTURALK', 'OPPORTUNITIES', 'BULD', 'JAPNESE', 'COSTUME', 'VISTING', 'BEHAVIOUE', 'LOSS', 'COSTOMS', 'UNNECERRIES', 'CHNAGE', 'ONLU', 'DISAPOINTED', 'DISADVANTES', 'CULTUREL', 'INTERNATIONLA', 'OVERALLIMPACT'), and persistent word choice inaccuracies (e.g., 'TRAVEL EXPLORES PEOPLE', 'UNNECERRIES'). While communication is generally maintained despite these errors, the high frequency of spelling and lexical slips restricts the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or concessive clauses ('ALTHOUGH, THE DEVELOPMENT HAVE SOME DISADVANTAGE, I BRLIVE THAT...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors in subject-verb agreement ('the development have', 'mass media provide', 'media also have'), capitalization issues, and punctuation flaws. Complex structures are often faulty, and errors appear in almost every sentence. Despite these issues, the meaning remains mostly clear to the reader, aligning with the descriptions for Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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