Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-11-01

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)

The 'anyone can do it' attitude is a controversial issue in several countries today as it makes untalented and unqualifed people get all the fame and money in the music industry,acting industry,art industry,etc while actual hardworking talent is underappreciated. While some argue that modern art and media should be accesible to everyone, I strongly believe that genuine hardwork and craftsmanship sould be valued more, especially in developing countries.

The primary reason for my opinion is that the democratization of the arts shouldnt override the rigourous technical skills a person is involved in. For example, Andrew Lincoln,a British actor, getting the role of 'Rick Grimes' in the show 'The Walking Dead'. He puts in lots of efforts in Britain for his acting career which really doesn't take off. But after auditioning for the American series 'The Walking Dead', he gets the role and is the main protagonist of one of the most popular shows in the world. This shows that a normal person's talent shouldn't outweigh years of hardwork.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You take a clear position, stating that genuine hard work and craftsmanship should be valued more, and your example of Andrew Lincoln is relevant to success earned through effort. However, the response addresses the task only partially: it does not explain sufficiently whether people without talent are becoming famous or how genuine talent is consequently overlooked. The example mainly shows an actor’s career eventually succeeding, rather than demonstrating the contrast in the prompt. Your reference to developing countries is also not developed. The response is 168 words, below the required 250, so there is not enough explanation or supporting evidence. Develop both sides of the claim and add a second, clearly relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction gives your position, followed by a paragraph beginning “The primary reason,” which introduces an example. Linking phrases such as “While” and “For example” help show relationships between ideas. However, the essay ends abruptly after the example, so there is no conclusion to restate your view or bring the argument together. The progression within the body paragraph is also not fully clear: the details about Lincoln’s career do not explicitly connect to the claim that untalented people receive fame and money. Use separate paragraphs for distinct reasons, explain how each example supports your position, and add a concluding paragraph. This would make the overall progression clearer and cohesion less dependent on a few basic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “democratization of the arts,” “technical skills,” “craftsmanship,” and “underappreciated.” These choices show an attempt to discuss the issue beyond very basic terms. However, the range is limited by repetition of “hardwork,” “talent,” and “industry,” and some expressions are imprecise or awkward, such as “a normal person's talent shouldn't outweigh years of hardwork.” Several spelling errors—“unqualifed,” “accesible,” and “sould”—also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise wording to distinguish natural ability, training, and public recognition, and check spelling carefully. More varied, accurate vocabulary would help you explain the prompt’s contrast without repeating the same terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both a complex opening sentence and a sentence with a subordinate clause, as in “While some argue that modern art and media should be accessible to everyone, I strongly believe…”. The main ideas remain understandable, but control is uneven. The example sentence “He puts in lots of efforts in Britain … which really doesn't take off” has an unclear reference for “which,” and the shift from “puts” to “doesn't” and then “after auditioning … he gets” makes the account’s tense use inconsistent. The final sentence also has an unclear comparison between “a normal person's talent” and “years of hardwork.” Review sentence boundaries, tense consistency in examples, and punctuation around names and quotations. Building more accurate complex sentences will make your reasoning easier to follow.

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

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