Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-01
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 5.0)
In recent year it has become common to see that the number of people continuing their study after school has increased and also increased same as at universities and colleges. This situation has both positive and negative effects. This essay will discuss the main advantages and then give my opinion.
The most important advantage is that improve educational skills. this is mainly because after school higher educational knowledge is very crucial for as a good employer. They can easily get promotion for using their skill. If this was not available, it would be very hard for earning money to the future. To make this clear, after school continued their education they can apply abroad for higher salary jobs. For instance, If a student fully complete their study they can achieve meaningful future. As a result, this creates significant benefits and has a major positive impact.
On the other hand, the main disadvantages is that lengthy procedure. When continuing their studies it's took several years from them. This is especially true for poor family their children doing work after passing or falling school. A good example of this is they do not have extra money to spend for continuing study. For example, many poverty children has no parents support for ahead their education. Therefore, this causes serious problems and has a negative impact.
In conclusion, although there are some drawbacks, i believe that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. This is mainly because the positive effects provide important support and solutions to people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The essay addresses both parts of the prompt by discussing the increase in higher education and providing an opinion on whether it is a positive or negative development. However, the development of ideas is limited. For example, the argument regarding 'educational skills' is repetitive and lacks specific, well-explained examples. The discussion on the disadvantages is also somewhat underdeveloped, relying on general statements about 'poor families' rather than exploring the broader societal or economic implications. While a position is clear, the supporting arguments lack the depth required for a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'To make this clear' and 'For instance' are used, but the logical flow between sentences is frequently interrupted by grammatical errors and awkward phrasing. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the connection between 'higher educational knowledge' and 'good employer' is disjointed. The progression of ideas is present but lacks the smooth transitions necessary for a higher score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision needed for a higher band. There is frequent repetition of basic words like 'increased', 'education', and 'impact'. Some word choices are imprecise or non-standard, such as 'falling school' (likely meaning 'leaving school') and 'ahead their education'. While the meaning is generally conveyed, the lack of variety and the presence of collocation errors limit the score. To improve, you should focus on using more academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('many poverty children has'), incorrect verb forms ('it's took'), and missing articles or prepositions ('for earning money to the future'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences starting with lowercase letters. While the meaning is usually clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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