Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-21
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people believe that international sports events, such as The Olympics or the Football World Cup, are a good way to bring countries together. Others say that these events create competition, not friendship, between countries.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
It is argued by the majority of individuals that nation wide sports events such as the Olympics are a wonderful way to build friendships bond between countries. However, others ponder that these events do not create friendships it become a cause of cometition among each other. I will discuss both views, along with my perspective, in the subsequent paragraphs.
To commence with the former view, there are many reasons why people believe that, in these ways, they can make strong relationships with each other. The first and foremost is, if all the countries
Shifting towards another viewpoint, there are those who believe that these events create competition among each other, such as
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response falls significantly short of the required minimum length of 250 words, containing only 112 words and remaining incomplete. The student attempts to introduce both views in the introduction, using phrases like 'nation wide sports events such as the Olympics are a wonderful way to build friendships bond between countries.' However, the body paragraphs are cut off abruptly mid-sentence (e.g., 'The first and foremost is, if all the countries...'). Consequently, the ideas are severely under-developed, and the task cannot be fully addressed. In accordance with the IELTS assessment criteria for severe under-length responses, this warrants a band score of 4.0, as the writing represents only a minimal and incomplete response to the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The writer attempts to structure the essay using standard transitional phrases such as 'To commence with the former view' and 'Shifting towards another viewpoint'. Paragraphing is attempted, with a clear introduction followed by broken body paragraphs. However, because the text is incomplete and stops abruptly, overall progression and logical cohesion cannot be effectively established. Referencing and cohesive devices are mechanical due to the lack of content. While the opening paragraph shows a basic coherent arrangement, the fragmented nature of the remainder of the text limits the overall coherence score. This aligns best with the descriptors for Band 5, where some basic organization is present, but progression is disrupted.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a limited, basic vocabulary range with noticeable errors in word formation and spelling. Examples include 'nation wide' (written as two words instead of nationwide), 'friendships bond' (awkward collocation), and 'cometition' (spelling error for competition). Despite these flaws, the vocabulary used is mostly adequate to convey the basic intended meaning regarding international sports. However, the lack of extended writing restricts the ability to demonstrate a wider or more flexible lexical resource. This performance matches Band 5, which features a limited range of vocabulary and noticeable spelling or word-choice errors that occasionally distract the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as the introductory complex sentence 'It is argued by the majority of individuals that...'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring structural awkwardness and missing constituents, particularly in the incomplete sentences like 'The first and foremost is, if all the countries...' where the dependent clause is left dangling without a main clause. Punctuation and sentence boundary issues are also evident. Because the sample is so brief, grammatical structures cannot be fully evaluated, but the frequent errors and incomplete thoughts prevent the score from rising higher. This corresponds to a Band 5, indicating a limited range of structures with frequent errors in complex attempts.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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