Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-17

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some countries today, there is an attitude that 'anyone can do it' in the arts - music, literature, acting, art, etc. As a result, people with no talent become rich and famous and genuine talent is not valued or appreciated.

Do you agree or disagree?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

People have an attitude that anyone can do it in the field of arts - music, literature, acting, art, etc. This has resulted people with no talent becoming famous and rich whereas genuine talent is not appreciated and valued as they should be. In my opinion, I agree to this statement as every people should have sense of courage believing in themself to do something even if they lack talent in those.

There is a famous saying, if there is a will, there is a way. Taking this as reference, some people build their attitude in such a way that if they want, they try to achieve it and eventually succeed. In field of literature, acting, art, music etc., too there remains a gap which gets fulfilled with non talented people due to curiosity. For example: random singer on a train can get famous if someone randomly films him and post it on internet.

On the other hand, this might overshadow genuine talent. Struggling artist working hard for years might not achieve what they want immediately. Main reason is most of them quit in between thinking this might not work and some hoping for more than decade might not get the actual values or appreciations as they deserve. Time changes, and sense of adaptation is what makes people succeed.

Hence, in the conclusion, people should always maintain positive attitude and have sense of thinking of I can do it anyways even if they don't have talent. Thus, consistently over the time help them gain success to reach the certain milestones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position on whether anyone can succeed in the arts and discussing the implications for genuine talent. The student's stance is maintained throughout the essay. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed, particularly when discussing how curiosity fills gaps or how struggling artists cope. For instance, the example of a 'random singer on a train' is somewhat brief and lacks deeper elaboration to fully support the argument. Furthermore, there is a slight misunderstanding or misinterpretation of the prompt's core premise, shifting the focus towards a motivational 'anyone can achieve anything with a positive attitude' rather than critically examining the societal devaluation of genuine talent. Nevertheless, a clear position is presented and supported with relevant examples, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from introduction to conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt, such as the rise of untalented individuals versus the struggle of genuine artists. Cohesive devices are employed, including transitional phrases like 'For example:', 'On the other hand:', and 'Hence, in the conclusion,'. However, some referencing and cohesion feel a bit mechanical and repetitive, and certain transitions lack nuance. For example, the linkage between paragraphs could be smoother to enhance the flow of argumentation. Overall, the organizational structure is clear and follows standard essay conventions, earning a Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary and topic-specific terms, such as 'genuine talent', 'adaptation', and 'milestones'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices throughout the text. Phrases like 'every people should have sense of courage' and 'non talented people' demonstrate issues with word formation and collocation. Spelling is generally accurate, but the overall range of vocabulary remains somewhat limited and repetitive, preventing the score from reaching higher bands. These minor lexical slips do not impede overall communication, placing the response solidly in Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a reasonable attempt at varied syntactic structures. Examples of complex structures include conditional clauses and relative clauses, such as 'if there is a will, there is a way' and 'Struggling artist working hard for years might not achieve what they want immediately.' However, there are frequent errors in grammar, articles, and punctuation, such as missing plural markers ('every people', 'Struggling artist'), incorrect prepositions ('In field of literature'), and awkward phrasing ('Thus, consistently over the time help them gain success'). Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, as the reader can still readily discern the intended meaning. The control over grammar is characteristic of a Band 5.5 to 6.0 performance.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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