Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-21

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say History is one of the most important school subjects. Other people think that in today’s world subjects like Science and technology are more important than History.

Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example form your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

A small amount of proponents believe that History is a very necessary subject in school. In contrast, the opponents think that modern subjects such as science and technology are preferably more valuable than History . However, I personally think its ones personal choice, which will be shown in the following paragraph.

To begin with, a minority of people think that History is a crucial subject in schooling. This is because it is considered that each and every person must have a proper knowledge on what has happened in the past that led to the state of the globe today. Moreover, it is ones necessity that he/she knows the tragedy of events happened around the globe like the World war, which is one of the most tragic event that took place in the world.

On the contrary side, the other minority claims that Science and Technology are far more valuable than history. For instance, the modern world demands tech experts to bring brand new developments related to technology. Furthermore, fields such as computer science engineering are a must in todays engineering world for the students to pursue long term career related to IT fields For that, subjects like Science and Technology is a fundamental title to be aware of.

In my opinion, I think its upto an individual who must be accounted for this decision of considering which subject is of his/her interest. In addition, a required amount of information of both these subjects must be well known to the students so they can decide whether they find the subject interesting.

In conclusion ,it can be inferred that it is upto the ones own claim if they find the particular subject exciting. However, a considerable amount of both of these subjects knowledge is important in today's world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument for History relies on a vague mention of 'tragedy of events,' and the argument for Science is similarly generic. The personal opinion is also slightly evasive; rather than choosing a side or arguing for a balance, you suggest it is an 'individual choice,' which limits the depth of your analysis. To reach a higher band, ensure you provide more specific, well-supported arguments that directly engage with the importance of these subjects in the modern world.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'On the contrary side,' and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'it is ones necessity that he/she knows.' The transition between the body paragraphs and your opinion could be smoother. While the overall progression is logical, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat repetitive and lacks the flexibility required for higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'computer science engineering' and 'modern developments.' However, there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation, such as 'a small amount of proponents' (proponents are countable, so 'a small number' is better) and 'fundamental title' (which is misused here). There is also a lack of variety in your vocabulary, with frequent repetition of basic words like 'subject' and 'important.' Expanding your range to include more precise academic collocations would improve this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include missing apostrophes ('its' instead of 'it's', 'ones' instead of 'one's'), subject-verb agreement issues ('subjects like Science and Technology is'), and awkward phrasing ('it is upto the ones own claim'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like subject-verb agreement and possessive forms.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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