Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-30
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)
There is an ongoing debate regarding whether history is one of the most important school subjects or science and technology are more important than history. This essay will discuss both the opinion and present my own perspective on the matter.
Those who advocate for history is one of the most important school subject often argue that if student study history they will be more connected through there root and culture. For instance learning about how ancient temples were made, arts used in them form will help student to under there culture more deeply. In addition they will learn about the contribution of there ancestors towards world. one good example is Aryabhat discovering of zero or study of aryuvedic done by Acharya Charaka.
However, from an alternative perspective, some people argue that science and technology are more important than history. The primary reason for this is that these technical subjects directly equip students with practical skills that are highly sought after in the modern job market. For instance by learning skills like coding, robotics, architecture and many other they can easily get into job market.
In conclusion, while there are valid arguments on both sides, I firmly believe that student should learn subject like history in there curriculum. The reason for that is by leraning history they can know about there culture and tradition which can help to make there future. For instance by learning of ancient architecture and art they build modern buildings or by learning ancient aruveda they apply in modern biology to cure people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on the importance of history versus science and technology, and clearly states the author's own position in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are presented and supported with examples, such as mentioning Aryabhatta and ancient architecture. However, the development of these ideas tends to be repetitive and limited in depth, with general statements rather than fully extended arguments. For instance, the discussion on how studying history helps students connect with their roots is introduced but not deeply analysed. This places the response comfortably at Band 6.0, as it successfully covers all parts of the task with relevant, albeit somewhat underdeveloped, ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical paragraph structure, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'However, from an alternative perspective' and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and grammatical cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in repetitive phrasing ('For instance', 'by learning') and occasional awkward links between sentences. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, resulting in a cohesive structure that meets the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting less common items such as 'advocate', 'contribution', and 'architecture'. However, there are notable word-choice, collocation, and form errors throughout the text, such as 'if student study history' (instead of students), 'there root and culture' (instead of their), and 'aryuvedic' (spelling error). The repetition of simple lexical items like 'learning' and 'culture' restricts the range. Despite these inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the main message without impeding the reader, aligning with the Band 6.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Those who advocate for history is one of the most important school subject...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly involving subject-verb agreement ('student study', 'history is... subject'), missing plural forms ('student should learn subject'), and frequent pronoun confusion ('there' instead of 'their' or 'the'). Punctuation is also sparse, which places stress on readability. Because errors are frequent and persist throughout the text while communicating basic ideas, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.