Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-03

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)

Yes, easy access to travel around the world and the many forms of mass media made it easier to learn about the living conditions of people in other countries.

From my perspective, there are more pros than cons in this regard. Firstly, by means of the internet and different social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, people have access to almost every corner of the world. These help people to learn about different cultures and their traditions by just clicking on a video or by searching the web. If they are trying to move to a specific country to study or for tourism, these can help them prepare accordingly.

For instance, last year my brother travelled to England for study purposes; initially, he was worried about the things that how he would manage there, but later on, with the help of different social media platforms he learned so many things that helped him there. It included how to travel and how to search for and rent an apartment. It would never be wrong to say that before moving to the country, he was half British. So, this helped him to know about their culture, like how they live and the ways they survive in harsh winters.

Moreover, by exploring different platforms for a specific region could help you to get knowledge about their customs, traditions, and values. For example, I was very keen to know about Arabic culture, so I started exploring different platforms using YouTube. I came to know a lot about their culture and their laws and laws and their way of living. It has helped me a lot when I went their to explore more as I know their language and their custom.

So yes there are many advanges including learing new language, walk around the world virtually, the whole world is just a click away.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear overall view that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and your examples about your brother preparing to study in England and your interest in Arabic culture are relevant to learning how people live elsewhere. However, the response mainly explains benefits and does not discuss any disadvantages, so it only partially addresses the comparison asked for. Several points are asserted rather than fully explained: for example, the claim that your brother was “half British” is unclear, and the final list of advantages is not developed. To strengthen the response, acknowledge a specific drawback, such as misleading online portrayals or cultural stereotyping, then explain why the benefits still outweigh it. Develop each example with a clear link to your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs signalled by “Firstly” and “Moreover,” and a concluding sentence. The examples generally follow the points they are intended to support, which helps the reader follow the discussion. However, progression is limited because both body paragraphs focus on similar benefits, and there is no paragraph considering disadvantages. Some links are awkward or unclear, such as “Moreover, by exploring different platforms for a specific region could help you,” where the opening phrase does not connect smoothly to the sentence’s subject. The conclusion also introduces a compressed list rather than summarising the argument. Use clearer topic sentences, vary the development of each paragraph, and make references such as “these” and “it” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “living conditions,” “traditions,” “customs,” “values,” and “prepare accordingly.” The examples also show some range beyond very basic language. However, vocabulary is often repetitive, particularly “different platforms,” “culture,” and “learn,” and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural. “Walk around the world virtually” does not express the intended idea clearly, while “the ways they survive in harsh winters” sounds awkward in this context. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “advanges,” “learing,” and “their” where “there” is intended. Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe how media “offers a window into daily life” rather than repeating “learn about” and “culture.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, using clauses such as “If they are trying to move to a specific country…” and “when I went there to explore more.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction and grammatical forms. For example, “by exploring different platforms for a specific region could help you” lacks a clear grammatical subject, and “the things that how he would manage there” combines two incompatible structures. In “It has helped me a lot when I went,” the tense relationship is also unclear. Review clause structure, especially after introductory phrases, and keep verb tenses consistent when describing past experiences. More accurate sentence patterns would make your examples easier to follow.

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