Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-25

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)

Some people emphasize on History being an important school subject while other people think that Science and technology are more important linking it with the modern day world.

Every school subject has its own significance and essence including History. It is a subject that connects the students to their roots therefore has a big part in development of a child's personality. Various religious books also mention history of certain civilizations for the purpose of betterment of next generations. This also proves that students can learn a lot about life from the subject of History. The idea of gaining knowledge about ancient times is also fascinating to the pupils furthermore enhancing their interest in studies. Therefore to term History as one of the core subjects is not an exagerration.

On the other hand, Science and technology have their implications all over the world that has made the life of people much easier. We are surrounded by products of Science and for better understanding of our surroundings, we need to teach them at schools more than other subjects. One cannot excel in any field without proper knowledge of these subjects. Future security aligns more with pursuing a career in Science than in any other fields. So, we can say that they are more important for students than other subjects.

In the conclusion, I think that every subject taught in schools contributes to the growth of students but Science and technology are need of the hour and should be given priority over other modules.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument for History relies on general statements about 'roots' and 'religious books' without specific, concrete examples. Similarly, the argument for Science and technology is quite brief, focusing on 'easier' lives and 'future security' without exploring the nuance of why these might be considered more important in a modern context. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations or specific real-world examples to fully support your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand', 'Therefore', and 'In the conclusion', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the mention of religious books and the general benefit of History is slightly abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'significance', 'essence', 'implications', and 'exaggeration'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'future security aligns more with pursuing a career'. Additionally, there is a spelling error ('exagerration') and a minor collocation issue ('emphasize on' should simply be 'emphasize'). To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure accurate spelling of more complex words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'teach them at schools' lacks a clear antecedent for 'them', and 'are need of the hour' is missing an article ('are the need of the hour'). There are also minor issues with preposition usage and sentence construction. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for minor grammatical inaccuracies would be beneficial.

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

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