Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-18
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Nowadays it's possible for people to buy many products or pay for treatments that help them to look younger.
Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Well, i believe that Skincare treatments and products are very effective nowadays and it is helpful for look younger.In further paragraph, i will explain this point of view with relevant examples.
Firstly, people can improve their confidence and self esteem. to paraphrase this,looking more younger and healthier may make people more competent for appearance. for example,in my teenage, I took facial treatments for 6 months and after that i feel more confident to show myself in my friends group. Some treatments can have skin benefits.
On the other hand,excessive use can cause health problems and financial burden. Some cosmetics procedures may have side effects and make unhealthy skin. For instance, people who take unnecessary procedures may spend large amounts of money and potentially damage their skin.
to conclude, Beauty products and treatments are good for skin and it’s also boost self confidence but excessive use of products may cause financial burden.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to address both sides of the question regarding whether anti-aging products and treatments are a good or bad thing. The student presents a clear position supporting both personal benefits and acknowledging financial and health risks. However, the task achievement is heavily impacted by the severe under-length issue, as the response contains only 151 words against the minimum requirement of 250 words. Consequently, the ideas remain underdeveloped and lack the necessary extension and examples required for a higher band. For instance, the mention of taking facial treatments for 6 months is not elaborated upon in sufficient depth. Based on the official descriptors for partial addressing of the task and underdeveloped ideas, this warrants a band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay displays some organizational structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Transitional markers such as 'Firstly', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' are utilized to signal progression. However, paragraphing is flawed, notably with the introduction being clipped and the second paragraph containing a disjointed meta-commentary sentence ('In further paragraph, i will explain...'). Furthermore, referencing is sometimes unclear, and cohesive devices are used mechanically rather than flexibly. There is a lack of smooth transitions between sentences within the body paragraphs. These features align closely with the band 5 descriptor, where organization is present but progression is limited and cohesion is repetitive or faulty.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary relevant to the topic, such as 'skincare treatments', 'confidence', 'self esteem', and 'financial burden'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'looking more younger' (comparative error) and 'competent for appearance'. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are sporadic and frequently inaccurate. Spelling and word-form errors are also present, such as lowercase letters at the start of sentences and punctuation issues. Because the vocabulary is sufficient to convey basic meaning despite noticeable errors, this performance fits the band 5 descriptor for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writing demonstrates a very limited range of grammatical structures. Simple sentences dominate, and attempts at complex structures, such as 'people who take unnecessary procedures may spend large amounts of money', are occasionally faulty or awkward. There are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including missing capitalization ('i', 'to paraphrase this'), incorrect comparative forms ('more younger'), and subject-verb agreement slips ('treatments can have skin benefits... and make unhealthy skin'). While the meaning can usually be deciphered, the high frequency of errors and limited structural variety prevent the score from reaching a band 6. Therefore, a band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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