Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-19
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)
From decades music is a vital source of entertainment. Music adds harmony in our lives and adds colour to any event. Through music we can connect with one another and I definitely agree that it is a good way of bringing people of various age, culture together.
Music is a good way of expressing emotions. Even people from different backgrounds can relate with one another through the rythms of music. Even if one group is unaware of the language of another group still with the tunes and rythms one can feel the song. For instance, in weddings mostly romantic musics or songs of promises are played which people can relate and feel no matter of the race of culture that they belong.
Music holds no age boundaries. It can bring people of different age groups together. Still the music we used to hear during our childhood gives us a feeling of nostalgia. For example, even a 70 year old can connect and remember a music that they used to listen when they were small. This same music brings a mix of emotions such as emotional, happy and at the same time missing our loved ones.
The way music brings harmony can also cause dissatisfaction if music taste between two people not matches. For example if one likes to hear pop music while another person prefers heavy metal music, this contrary between the two people can cause disagreements which might lead to arguments.
Therefore, I believe, music holds a special bond and memory in ones life. Music has the power to ignite a friendship and even to cause a reason of fight.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing how music brings people of different ages and cultures together, and even offers a counter-perspective regarding musical tastes. Your position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning weddings and nostalgia among older adults. However, the development of some points remains somewhat generalised and brief. For instance, the paragraph discussing disagreements over musical tastes is introduced towards the end but could be integrated more smoothly into the overarching argument about cultural and generational bridging. Overall, the requirements of the task are adequately met, placing the response securely in the Band 6 territory.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into five paragraphs, providing a coherent overall arrangement. The progression of ideas is generally clear, moving from emotional connection across cultures to generational bonding, and finally introducing a counterpoint about musical preferences. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'Even if', and 'Therefore', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent repetition of 'Even if' and 'For example'. Paragraphing is handled reasonably well, but the connection between the final body paragraph on musical disagreements and the main thesis requires stronger logical signposting to ensure a more seamless progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with some attempts to use less common items such as 'nostalgia', 'harmony', and 'dissatisfaction'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations throughout the text. For example, writing 'From decades' instead of 'For decades', 'ryths' instead of 'rhythms' (along with spelling inconsistencies), and 'cause a reason of fight' rather than 'cause conflict'. Additionally, phrasing such as 'music taste between two people not matches' displays limitations in collocation and grammatical phrasing. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, these frequent inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in tense usage, prepositions, and sentence construction. Examples include 'From decades music is a vital source' (preposition/tense error), 'no matter of the race of culture that they belong' (missing preposition and phrasing error), and 'if music taste between two people not matches' (faulty negative structure). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but sentence structures occasionally lack precision. These errors occur regularly throughout the response, though they rarely impede overall communication, aligning the grammar with a Band 5.5 level.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.