Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-29

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 5.5)

Every coin has two sides, same way some individuals says that international sports events, such as The Olympics or the Football World Cup, are a good idea to bring nations close. Other believes that these events causes competition, not friendship between countries.

Some individual thinks that international sports events such as The Olympics or the Football World Cup, are a better idea to get the countries close, as they think, this will help strengthening the bond between the countries, like the different nations players play, which leads them to spend their time with them, get to know them and different nations government also meet and discuss political agenda. For an example, The Hockey Olympics held between Russia and India led to a great deal of Oil between both the countries, as the government of India and Russia met and discussed their proposal which helped them in strengthening their bonds.

As mentioned earlier every coin has two sides, there are other people who thinks such sports events causes rivalry, if a particular country wins, other countries people start hating and creates a competition between them. For an example match between India and Pakistan, they are worldwide famous for their competition. As India won the world cup, people from Pakistan started to spread hate against India and both the nations officials mock each other on media.

According to my views, I personally feel it's a great way to deepen the relationship between countries. As many a times, this has lead to a positive results. For an example deal between China and Turkey, after a sports event held in Turkey the bond between both countries has grown further and benefitted both the countries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and state your opinion clearly: you see international events as a way to deepen relationships, while also describing rivalry through India–Pakistan matches. However, the supporting examples are not always clear or sufficiently developed. The claim that a hockey event led to “a great deal of Oil” is difficult to understand, and the China–Turkey example is asserted without explaining which event or how it improved relations. Your response is also one word below the required 250-word minimum, so it does not fully meet the task’s length requirement. Develop each example with accurate, relevant details and explain how it supports the point being made; this would make your discussion more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph for each view, and a concluding paragraph giving your opinion. This makes the overall arrangement coherent. You also use signposting such as “As mentioned earlier” and “According to my views” to guide the reader. However, the repeated “every coin has two sides” framing and frequent “For an example” make the links feel mechanical. Some sentences contain several ideas joined together, so the relationship between them is not always clear—for instance, the first body paragraph moves from players meeting to governments discussing political agendas and then to an oil claim. Use more precise transitions and divide related points into clearer sentences to improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “international sports events,” “rivalry,” “strengthening their bonds,” and “political agenda,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear. “A great deal of Oil” does not express a clear outcome, while “people start hating” and “mock each other on media” are imprecise for an academic discussion. Repetition of “countries,” “bond,” and “for an example” also limits flexibility. Aim for more exact expressions and check whether words naturally combine; for instance, describe a specific diplomatic or economic benefit rather than using an unclear phrase.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “as,” “which,” and “if,” but control is inconsistent. Agreement errors occur in “some individuals says,” “Other believes,” and “people … starts,” while verb forms are faulty in “this has lead” and “will help strengthening.” Articles and sentence construction also need attention, as in “a better idea to get the countries close” and the long sentence beginning “Some individual thinks.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning harder to follow. Practise matching subjects and verbs, using the correct verb pattern after “help,” and separating long sentences into complete, well-punctuated units. More accurate control of these structures would make your ideas easier to read.

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