Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-03

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that music is a good way of bringing people of different cultures and ages together. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

There is opinion that the music is good way to bring people of different ethnicities and cultures together. I also agree with this, because music has no borders, people from different cultures and countries can have same music taste, that brings them under one unit. One thing good about music is it has no age categorization in it. People of different age groups listen to same genre.

Music is a source of dopamine, there is a saying that music is soul's food.

There are many examples where music creates the connection between the people of the various countries. One of the top example is pop music , it has a large audience in the world whether they are from the India or Europe. Through music different singers get same, and there popularity is not limited to the one country. Micheal Jackson, is name that every children and eighty year old person knows very well, that is due to music.

His popularity is unmatchable in all countries of the world, not only in the America. Conserts are the source of the community building and a good source of relaxing from the busy schedule of everyday life.

Through this you get the chance to meet the people from the different ethnicities and cultures and develop bonding.

We can also take the example of the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan great Pakistani classical singer, he is equally popular in the London and other countries, this proves that the music is actually a source of love and bonding between different cultures and there is not age limit for its listeners as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by expressing a clear agreement with the idea that music bridges cultural and age gaps. The position is maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention pop music and specific artists like Michael Jackson and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the explanation of how these examples specifically foster 'bonding' or 'community' remains a bit repetitive. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'how' and 'why'—for instance, explaining how shared musical experiences facilitate cross-cultural dialogue or empathy, rather than just stating that people listen to the same songs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is occasionally mechanical. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'One thing good about music is' and 'Through this', but the transitions between sentences can feel abrupt. For example, the jump from discussing age groups to the biological effect of dopamine is sudden and lacks a clear logical link to the main argument. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved by using more sophisticated linking words to connect your supporting examples to your main thesis more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, but it is often repetitive and lacks precision. Phrases like 'one thing good about' and 'source of' are used frequently. There are also some minor errors in collocation and word choice, such as 'get same' instead of 'gain recognition' or 'popularity', and 'conserts' (spelling error). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to sociology or cultural exchange, and avoid relying on basic descriptors like 'good' or 'nice'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include missing articles ('the' music, 'the' India, 'the' America), subject-verb agreement errors ('every children... knows'), and punctuation issues. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on mastering basic article usage and ensuring that plural/singular nouns are correctly matched with their respective verbs.

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

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