Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-30
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)
The facility of visitng abroad and the overview of several types of technology over the globe have made it easier to understand about the living standard of the other nations. The positve side of it are knowing different cultures, making relations and gaining the ideas of different skills and the negative sides of it are hampering personal lives and difficulty to involve in new environment.
To begin with, there are several merits of visting worldwide and use of digital technology. The first advantages of it is knowing various culture. To explain, when we travel different state, we can know about their culture and capture in a phone as a memories to watch in future. Likewise, the another merits is making unbreakable bond with strangers. Elaborating further, we can be friends with the other people while travelling. Similarly, the third positive aspect is getting knowldege of new skills. To clarify, when we visit new places their way of living and things done by them can be differ from everyone and individuals can gain ideas about tthat skills.
On the other hand, various demerits are there of travelling worldwide and using various internet facilities. Firstly, it impact personal lives. Explaining it, capturing other people daily life without their permission can creates issues in upcoming future. Secondly, It can be difficult to involve in new surroundings. For instance, individuals can feel the obstacles while exploring and living in unknown areas.
In conclusion, it has both positive and negative effects. As we can see, advantages outweighs disadvantages. Regarding my opinion, I completely agree with merits because knowing about different countries and using digital things will be the memories for whole life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address both sides of the question and state a clear overall view in the conclusion: “advantages outweighs disadvantages.” Your points about learning cultures, forming relationships, gaining skills, privacy, and adapting to unfamiliar surroundings are relevant. However, the discussion remains general and does not fully explain how international travel and mass media together help people understand life in other countries. For example, the paragraph about culture focuses on taking photographs, while the point about skills is difficult to follow and lacks a specific illustration. The disadvantages are also briefly asserted rather than developed. To strengthen the response, explain the effects of each main idea and support them with a concrete example, while keeping your position clear throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is often mechanical: “The first advantages,” “Likewise,” and “Similarly” introduce a list rather than showing how ideas connect or develop. Some references are unclear, as in “the another merits” and “their way of living and things done by them.” The conclusion repeats the general position without drawing together the main reasons. Use fewer formulaic transitions, make each paragraph develop one central point, and use precise references so readers can follow the links between claims and examples.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “different cultures,” “personal lives,” “new surroundings,” and “memories.” There are also attempts to express more specific ideas, such as “unbreakable bond” and “living standard.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning unclear. For instance, “overview of several types of technology” does not naturally express the spread of mass media, and “involve in new surroundings” is not an appropriate phrase for adapting to a place. Spelling errors such as “visitng,” “positve,” and “knowldege” are noticeable. Build a bank of topic-specific expressions and check spelling, word forms, and natural combinations before submitting.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more extended sentences, including explanations introduced by “To explain” and “For instance.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and verb forms. Examples include “The positve side of it are,” “The first advantages of it is,” and “capturing other people daily life without their permission can creates issues.” These errors can make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Some sentences also join ideas awkwardly, particularly the opening sentence and the explanation about gaining skills. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and verb patterns, and build longer sentences from a clear subject and main verb. Proofread each sentence for agreement and whether the verb form follows the preceding modal or auxiliary.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.