Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-18
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 4.5)
The trend of higher education has increased in a lot of countries and diverse options are available for students to opt from, In this essay I will explain how that is a positive development.
I believe education is the key to any nation's success. We need more skill workers to boost our economy. More people are now accessing education one of the main reasons is the benefit for employment as everyone is looking to have a better life so they can get that through formal education because majority well paying jobs require formal education.For example, China made use of their over population and equipped its people with better skillset and now they are among world's largest economy.
Another reason that contributes to a lot of educational opportunities is the role of educational in
available institutes social media , easier courses advocacy
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 250 words, standing at only 141 words and breaking off mid-sentence with disjointed notes at the end. Because the essay is severely incomplete, it can only address the task partially. The writer attempts to present a position that the increase in higher education is a positive development and introduces supporting ideas such as economic growth and employment benefits, citing an example regarding China. However, the ideas remain heavily under-developed due to the truncation of the text. Consequently, according to the official band descriptors for Task Achievement, the score is limited to Band 4.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The text begins with a standard introductory sentence that links clauses together, but the overall structure rapidly breaks down. Paragraphing is not properly maintained, as the writing dissolves into unfinished thoughts and disconnected bullet-like fragments at the end, such as 'available institutes social media , easier courses advocacy'. There is a lack of logical progression across the text as a whole because the response stops abruptly. While basic cohesive devices are attempted in the opening sentences, the inability to complete the essay prevents the logical sequencing of arguments. Based on these organizational shortcomings, a Band 4.0 is appropriate.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a basic vocabulary range suitable for discussing education, employing words such as 'education', 'economy', 'employment', and 'opportunities'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation issues, such as 'skill workers' instead of 'skilled workers' and 'over population' instead of 'overpopulation'. The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive, and the unfinished nature of the text restricts the writer's ability to demonstrate flexibility or precision. Because the vocabulary is minimally adequate for the few sentences produced, it aligns with a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the introductory complex sentence 'In this essay I will explain how that is a positive development.' However, there are punctuation errors, notably a comma splice in the first sentence ('...to opt from, In this essay...'), and missing punctuation or run-on phrasing later on ('...education one of the main reasons is...'). Furthermore, grammatical accuracy diminishes as the text progresses into fragments. Given the limited range of fully formed structures and the frequent errors in punctuation and clause joining, the grammar fits Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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