Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-26

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems, as well as practical problems.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

So as we all know in today’s world communication is one of the basic need of living it can be in any way either online or offline doesn’t matter without communication its very difficult to survive. So, if we have to live in such a place where no one can understand us and vice-versa then according to me that is place is like hell. Lets understand it with one of my experience which i had faced when I visited to Japan basically I am from India and i went there because of a research paper conference. I just landed in Tokyo early morning and within my first step I get an idea that its not gonna be easy because when i booked my cab to reach my hotel i was unable to communicate with my driver as I didn’t know a single word of japanese and same for him he also doesn’t know single word of my language then i just did the google translation so i just managed that ,but imagine what if I didn’t have my internet connection due to technical or any other issue then i have nothing to do. So , I reached at my hotel then in evening i decided to just walk around and explore some interesting or famous things nearby then i see that i am unable to read anything that is written and i cant just always ask others to translate or just roaming around having my translator in my hand then its no enjoyment. After that i decided to have some food and that language problem followed me there too. So, overall I had just done my work there for which i had gone that i paper presentation nothing else all my plans i thought before coming just trashed just because of communication problem. So, that’s why according to me its very difficult to live in a country where we didn’t know the foreign language as we have to face so many problems there social as well as practical.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by agreeing with the statement and providing personal experience as support. However, the essay lacks a formal structure, appearing as a single long paragraph rather than a balanced essay. While the personal anecdote about Japan is relevant, the response lacks a broader discussion of 'social problems' beyond the practical inconvenience of language barriers. The position is clear, but the development is limited to a single narrative rather than a more analytical exploration of the topic. To improve, you should include a clear introduction, distinct body paragraphs exploring different facets of the issue (social vs. practical), and a concluding summary.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is written as one continuous block of text, which significantly hinders readability and logical progression. There is a lack of paragraphing, which is a requirement for a high-scoring response. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'So', 'After that', 'overall'), they are often used repetitively or in a way that makes the flow feel informal and conversational rather than academic. The progression of ideas is somewhat linear, but the lack of clear transitions between the introduction of the topic and the personal example makes the structure feel disjointed. Improving paragraphing and using a wider range of linking words would greatly enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'very difficult', 'interesting or famous things', and 'nothing else' are common and lack the precision expected at higher bands. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, but the overall range is limited. The tone is overly informal, resembling a personal email or blog post rather than an academic essay. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more sophisticated collocations and academic vocabulary to express your ideas with greater precision and variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Run-on sentences are common, such as 'I just landed in Tokyo early morning and within my first step I get an idea that its not gonna be easy because when i booked my cab...'. There are also consistent issues with capitalization (e.g., 'i', 'japanese'), subject-verb agreement, and tense consistency. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation detract from the overall quality and fluency of the writing.

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