Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-10-14

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)

In spite of the advantages made in agriculture, many people around the world still go hungry. In many countries, it gets very common because of some reasons for example poverty, increase in population, wastage of food, wars and natural disasters.

Poverty is the main reason because poor people cannot afford food.They do not earn enough money to buy food for their families. Even when food is available in the market.

Another major reason is the unequal distribution of the food. Some countries have enough food while some face problems with lack of food. In addition, a large amount of food is wasted by restaurants, shops and households instead of giving it to the people who need it.

Wars, floods and droughts can also cause hunger. Wars may force farmers to leave their land, while floods can destroy crops. As a result, food production decreases and prices may rise.

Government and charitable providers should provide free meals to the poor people. They should also provide the kitchen community and food bank for poor people who cannot afford it.

Supermarkets, stores and households should reduce food waste. The government should support farmers by providing modern farming equipment, good quality seeds, training and affordable loans.

Hunger can cause health problems. The government should reduce prices of food and reduce the wastage of foods. The government should also support farmers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you identify causes such as poverty, unequal distribution, food waste, war and natural disasters, then suggest food banks, reduced waste and support for farmers. The examples about farmers leaving land and floods destroying crops help explain how crises reduce supply. However, several points are only briefly stated, and the final paragraph repeats proposed actions rather than developing their likely impact. The response also contains 215 words, so it is 35 words below the required minimum; 11 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. This limits the space available to explain causes and solutions fully. Develop fewer key points with specific examples and explain how each proposed measure would reduce hunger.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a generally understandable structure: it introduces the issue, presents causes in separate paragraphs, and then turns to solutions. Linking phrases such as “In addition” and “As a result” help show relationships between ideas. However, the progression is not fully controlled: the paragraph beginning “Hunger can cause health problems” shifts back to a general consequence and repeats earlier recommendations, so the ending feels repetitive rather than conclusive. Some connections between points are also abrupt, particularly the move from causes to solutions. Use a clearer sequence—causes, solutions, then a brief conclusion—and make each paragraph focus on one main purpose. More precise referencing would also help readers follow which problem each solution addresses.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “unequal distribution,” “food production,” “droughts,” “food bank” and “affordable loans.” These terms show awareness of the subject, and the meaning is generally clear. However, the range is limited and some choices or combinations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “advantages made in agriculture,” “charitable providers,” “the kitchen community,” and “wastage of foods.” Repetition of “food,” “poor people” and “government” also makes the writing less flexible. Aim to use more precise collocations and vary repeated terms—for example, refer to “food insecurity” or “low-income households” where appropriate. Check word forms and natural phrasing when revising.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences use straightforward structures, and several are understandable, including “Wars may force farmers to leave their land, while floods can destroy crops.” You also attempt a subordinate clause with “because” and a result clause with “As a result.” However, the range is limited, and errors recur in sentence boundaries, articles, plurals and clause construction. For example, “They do not earn enough money to buy food for their families. Even when food is available in the market” leaves the second part as a fragment. In “Government and charitable providers should provide free meals,” the article is missing, while “provide the kitchen community” has an unclear grammatical structure. Practise combining related ideas into complete sentences and check punctuation and article use.

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

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