Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-08-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In spite of the advances made in agriculture, many people around the world still go hungry.

Why is this the case?

What can be done about this problem?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Despite the advancement in the agricultural field people are still starving. This essay will discuss the main cause of this and also propose a solution for the betterment of people around the world.

There are several reasons why people still suffer from hunger few of these are cost of cultivation increases due to use of different costly fertilizers, use of heavy machinery and buying water from tube-well owners. As the costs of cultivation increases the selling price of crops also touches the sky. For example in the past the land is naturally rich in nutrients people use old primitive methods to grow crops which are not much heavy on the pocket also makes soil essential for upcoming cultivation. Nowadays due to excessive use fertilizer for increasing the productivity we are damaging our soil which is also not a budget friendly. We use heavy machinery which consumes petrol and also took water from the tube-well owner which also costs money and all of this collectively increases the cost of cultivation and when a crop is ready to cultivate it sells on higher prices. Due to this people cannot afford to buy the costly products for consuming.

There are several measures that could be taken to address this issue. Firstly, we should be converted back to the old methods of agriculture which naturally makes soil worth cultivating rather than using these costly fertilizers which is only beneficial for the company owners not for the farmers. Government should construct the proper channels for providing water to the land from the main canal this will leads to use natural water instead of buying from the private water sellers.

In conclusion these all measurement will make it possible to push down the price and make it more accessible for the people who have lower wages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the causes of hunger and potential solutions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The explanation regarding the cost of cultivation is repetitive, focusing heavily on fertilizers and machinery without exploring other significant factors like food distribution, waste, or geopolitical issues. The solutions proposed, such as returning to 'old methods,' are somewhat simplistic and lack depth. While the position is clear, the arguments would benefit from more nuanced analysis and specific, real-world examples to reach a higher band. The essay covers the requirements but remains at a general level of discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a clear progression of ideas from the problem to the solution. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'There are several reasons,' 'There are several measures,' 'Firstly'). Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'this will leads to use natural water,' where the connection to the previous clause is slightly awkward. Paragraphing is present but could be more effectively utilized to separate distinct ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic or informal phrasing, such as 'touches the sky' and 'budget friendly,' which are not ideal for an academic essay. Some word choices are imprecise, such as 'we should be converted back' instead of 'we should revert to.' While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'sustainable agriculture,' 'food security,' 'economic barriers') limits the score. Spelling is generally accurate, but the range of lexical items remains somewhat restricted.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('this will leads to,' 'the land is naturally rich'), incorrect verb forms ('people use old primitive methods' instead of 'used'), and missing articles. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly regarding comma usage in complex sentences. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from being considered 'error-free' in the majority of sentences, which is a requirement for higher bands.

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

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