Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-28

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)

Although agriculture has devloped significantly, hunger still remains a serious problem in many parts of the world. There are several reasons for this issue, particularly high prices of the the goods and unstable government policies. However, measures can be taken, such as strict price regulations on food products and government subcidies for poor peoples.

One major reason for hunger is the high cost of food and the unstable government policies. This means poor families may not be able to afford enough food for their daily needs. As a result, even food is available in the market, peope may still remain hungry. Moreover, unstable government policies for food and agriculture authorities may result in unstable food prices. For instance, if there is no one to look after these prices, supliers and distributers can set higher prices to earn high profit. Eventually, people may suffer from food shortage.

Several measures can be taken to overcome this issue, such as stricter price regulations on food items and government subsidies for needy people. Authorities can introduce peoper price lists of food items and can ensure that all suppliers and distriuters, including local shops must follow them. As a result, items cannot be sold on higher price. Additionally, government can give some relife to people, like subsidies which can help to lower the overall price of food items.

In conclusion, although many advancements have been made in agriculture field, people are still facing hunger problems. Lack of government regulations and high prices of food are the major reasons of this problem. However, suitable measures such as financial subsidies and strict price control can be provided by the government.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by identifying causes of global hunger, such as the high cost of food and unstable government policies, and proposes clear measures, including strict price regulations and government subsidies. The position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the explanation of how unstable policies lead to higher prices is rather general and lacks deeper economic or real-world exploration. While the main points are relevant, they tend to be stated rather than fully extended. Therefore, the response aligns best with Band 6.0 descriptors for addressing all parts of the task with relevant, albeit somewhat under-developed, ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs exploring causes and solutions respectively, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'Moreover', 'For instance', 'As a result', and 'Additionally', to connect sentences and paragraphs. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel mechanical or repetitive, as seen with repeated transitional structures ('Several measures can be taken', 'As a result'). Progression is generally evident, but the logical flow between sentences occasionally stumbles due to repetitive phrasing. Overall, this performance fits the Band 6.0 level for clear overall organisation with some mechanical cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'significantly', 'regulations', 'subsidies', and 'distributors'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, including 'devloped' instead of developed, 'subcidies' instead of subsidies, 'peope' instead of people, 'supliers' instead of suppliers, 'distriuters' instead of distributors, and 'relife' instead of relief. Additionally, word choices like 'peoper' instead of proper indicate a lack of precision. While these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the score from reaching a higher band. Consequently, the lexical resource corresponds to Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing introductory subordinate clauses ('Although agriculture has developed significantly...') and conditional structures ('if there is no one to look after these prices...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several minor errors, such as missing articles ('even food is available', 'government can give some relife'), incorrect prepositions or article duplication ('high prices of the the goods'), and minor agreement or phrasing issues ('on higher price' instead of at higher prices). Despite these flaws, the structures used do not impede overall comprehension, making this a solid fit for Band 6.0.

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