Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-21

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)

A lot of people die due to hunger, even with development in the agriculture sector. However, I believe that overpopulation and poor government policies are considered leading causes of this concern, and how through some restrictions on hight-births rate of children and better government planning, this problem can be curtailed.

There are multiple factor contribute to this problem. Firstly, overpopulation can be labelled as the root cause of this problem. As overcrowding and less food production areas can't survive. Take an example of China, in 1960, a lot of people did not have enough food to survive because of overpopulation. At that time, their government made an initiative to restrict on childbirth, no more than one and in the following years, the results were positive, and now they have extra food and they export it to other countries. Thus, overcrowding can be considered as fueling force behind this issue.

Secondly, lack of government policies is another major cause behind this issue. As weak laws and regulations make this problem worse. For instance, in Mongolia, it is expected that by the year 2034, people will not have food to survive mainly because of poor government management. Hence, this cause is considered as the breeding ground of this problem.

However, I believe there are certain solutions that can be overcome this problem. The primary solution I believe would be to stop the high birth rate. As with low number of people, it is easy to provide proper food to them. Furthermore, another effective solution would be to make better government policies. As strong laws and regulations, this problem can be resolved.

To sum up, even though overpopulation and poor government policies are widespread in societies, but I believe that through some restrictions on the high birth rate and the creation of effective government policies, this problem can be curtailed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt by identifying causes (overpopulation and poor government policies) and suggesting corresponding solutions. A clear position is stated in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and relies heavily on brief assertions rather than deep elaboration. For instance, the example provided about China is relevant and supports the point on overpopulation, while the example regarding Mongolia is speculative and lacks detailed context. The ideas are generally relevant, but they tend to be over-generalized and could benefit from further extension and specific supporting evidence to fully meet the higher band descriptors. Overall, the task is adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a clear overall arrangement with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing separate points, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as causes in paragraphs two and three, and solutions in paragraph four. Cohesive devices are employed, including sequencing words like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'To sum up'. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. For example, the sentence 'As overcrowding and less food production areas can't survive' lacks a clear subject-verb connection, and transitions like 'As with low number of people' disrupt the natural flow. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and some sentences feel disjointed. Progression is present, but the repetitive sentence structures limit overall coherence, placing this response at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic arguments about agriculture, population, and government policy. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'curtailed', 'overcrowding', and 'breeding ground'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'hight-births rate', 'factor contribute' instead of 'factors contribute', and 'food production areas can't survive'. Furthermore, repetition of phrases like 'behind this issue' and 'this problem can be curtailed' restricts the lexical range. While these vocabulary errors do not completely impede communication, they reflect the characteristics of a Band 5.5 or 6.0 performance, supported by sufficient range but noticeable inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are frequently faulty. There are recurrent grammatical errors, such as fragment sentences starting with 'As' (e.g., 'As weak laws and regulations make this problem worse' and 'As strong laws and regulations, this problem can be resolved'). Additionally, errors like 'that can be overcome this problem' (passive voice misuse) and punctuation issues in compound-complex sentences detract from overall accuracy. Although the meaning remains understandable despite these errors, the high frequency of structural slips prevents the score from reaching a higher band. The control of grammar is patchy, making Band 5.5 an accurate reflection of the current writing competence.

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

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