Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-23

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)

Travelling from our homeland to any part of the world has become easier nowadays and additionally social media has become a part of it, especially for the people who are not able to fly to their loved ones or their desired destinations, still they can have the excess to everything through internet, which in my opinion is a great advantage and is helping people a lot in various ways, but this has also made people learn false information.

International travel has become a part of majority of the people, living in any country. Furthermore, people watching how people in other countries live though media, has made it easier for them to know about them. These advantages of this development has outweigh the disadvantages, letting the tourist know about the weather, culture and other important information of any country remotely.

I remember when I travelled to US, which was a completely new country for me, as Pakistan has all four seasons, but their in the month of august it was breezy, which I came to know from the research I did before landing and that is how I had everything to survive in that cold.

However, on the other hand mass media also have various cons: it often has a lot of differnt information about a single thing, which often leads to misguiding people travelling there and this leads to frustration. Similarly, a dozen of information out there doesn't confirm the authentic and relaiable one.

Everything has its own pros and cons and in the way does mass media. Besides some of its disadvantages, its advantages is at a higher rate, which clealry shows that people can enjoy either by staying at their places or by visiting the ones they want after having all the required information about it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the question and state a clear overall view: the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The travel example about preparing for the weather in the US supports the benefit of learning about another country before visiting, while the point about conflicting online information identifies a relevant drawback. However, the discussion focuses mainly on practical travel preparation and gives less attention to how mass media helps people understand everyday life in other countries. The disadvantage is also asserted rather than illustrated with a specific example, and the conclusion repeats the position without adding much synthesis. Develop both sides more evenly and explain how each example demonstrates the effect on people’s understanding.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to benefits, a personal example, disadvantages, and a conclusion. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and transitions such as “However” and “Similarly” signal changes in direction. At times, though, the progression is mechanical or unclear: the opening sentence combines travel, social media, access, and misinformation, while “These advantages of this development has outweigh the disadvantages” arrives before the supporting points are fully organised. Some references, such as “it” and “them,” could be clearer. Give each paragraph one main purpose, connect the example directly to the claim it supports, and use linking phrases only where they clarify the relationship between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “mass media,” “misguiding,” “authentic,” and “reliable,” and the reader can generally understand your meaning. There are also attempts to express nuanced ideas, such as the contrast between accessing information remotely and travelling in person. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “excess to everything,” “a part of majority,” and “at a higher rate.” Spelling errors such as “differnt,” “relaiable,” and “clealry” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; precise, idiomatic wording will make your argument clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “which,” “as,” and “but,” and your main ideas remain understandable. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “These advantages … has outweigh” has subject–verb and verb-form problems, while “people watching … has made it easier” uses an awkward grammatical construction. There are also errors in agreement and sentence structure, as in “mass media also have various cons” and the opening sentence, which runs several ideas together. Practise building shorter, complete sentences first, then combine them with accurate subordinate clauses. Check subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and punctuation when revising.

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