Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-04

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries these days, the number of people continuing their education after school has increased, and the range of courses available at universities and colleges has also increased.

Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, number of higher educational institutes as well as range of courses offered by universities has been increased significantly, as a result more people are interested in pursuing higher education than ever before. I believe, it is a positive development because it allows individuals to continue their education in various subjects and make their career in demanding fields.

Firstly, increase in number of universities and courses, give people opportunity to continue education in field of their choice. Previously, there were limited courses offered, while the candidates were greater in number. Consequently, only a few pupils were able get admission due to higher saturation and limited positions. For example, in 19th century, degrees offered by most of colleges and universities were limited to medicine, engineering, and arts. Currently, there are many options for students in interdisciplinary fields.

Secondly, schools were less in number, and limited to urban areas. It was very difficult for rural population to continue their education which resulted in low literacy rate in villages and towns. According to a survey, rural population is very passionate about education, but do not have enough options in their area, which left them with only few career options.

In my opinion, advancement in education sector in terms of increasing institutes, and courses is a positive development. It is beneficial for individuals to pursue higher education, and careers. Moreover, it also make them financial sustainable

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating that the increase in educational opportunities is a positive development. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas regarding career choice and rural accessibility are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped. The conclusion is also abrupt and lacks a summary of the main points. To reach a higher band, you must expand on your examples and ensure the essay meets the length requirement to allow for a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover' to signal the progression of your ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition between the historical context and current options could be smoother. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is quite brief, which affects the overall balance of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'higher educational institutes', 'interdisciplinary fields', and 'literacy rate'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'make their career' (should be 'build their career') and 'financial sustainable' (should be 'financially sustainable'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure that word forms are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('number of higher educational institutes' should be 'the number of...') and subject-verb agreement ('schools were less in number' is slightly awkward). There are also minor punctuation and phrasing issues throughout. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for articles and verb forms would be highly beneficial.

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

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