Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-27

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)

Despite rapidly progressing in the field of music and its psychological impacts, some people still argue that music is the best way of bringing people of various cultures and ages together. I partly agree with this stance that music can be a source of strengthening the bonds between different generations. However, it can raise multiple disputes among people who belong to different cultures.

The primary driving factor of this concept that influences the people is that music can provide a strong linking system to connect the people of diverse traditions and different ages. In addition, by listening to songs and anthems, people can connect themselves with nations, with a greater devotion. A clear illustration of this is provided by several state authorities, who have implemented the strategy of strengthening relationship among their citizens of different ages and cultures by using national music and songs. Therefore, some people believe that music can be a good option for bringing diverse people together.

Conversely, music can be a major concern for the emergence of various conflicts among people of different ages and cultures. These issues can arise due to preference in music, as it varies from young to older individiuals and among different traditions. For instance, developing countries are suffering from poor socio-economic conditions which are caused by disputes, which emerged due to different music tastes among generations and cultures.

I agree that music can strengthen relations among people of different ages and regions. However, I believe that it can be a limit to socio-economic growth of a country due to the disputes arising due to preferences of music consumption.

To conclude, according to some people, listening to the same sort of music can be beneficial as it can reduce the generation gaps. However, from my perspective, it can also introduce multiple conflicts in a society regarding music taste.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring both sides of whether music brings people together across cultures and ages or creates disputes. The writer establishes a clear position in the introduction, stating partial agreement regarding age generations while raising concerns about cultural divisions. Ideas are developed, though the reasoning in the body paragraphs tends to be slightly repetitive and generic. For instance, the claim that developing countries suffer poor socio-economic conditions caused by musical taste disputes is an over-generalization that lacks credible real-world support. Nevertheless, the position is maintained throughout the essay. The response satisfies the requirements for a Band 6.0 performance under this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as the unifying potential of music versus its divisive nature. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as "The primary driving factor", "In addition", and "Conversely". However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or formulaic. For example, the sentence "I agree that music can strengthen relations..." appears somewhat redundant given the earlier stance taken in the introduction and disrupts the natural logical progression of the argument. Overall, cohesion is functional but occasionally repetitive, aligning with a Band 6.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms such as "psychological impacts", "traditions", "socio-economic conditions", and "music consumption". There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally affected by inappropriate word choice or minor errors, such as spelling "individiuals" and using awkward phrasing like "a strong linking system". While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, inaccuracies in collocation and word forms prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like subordinate clauses and participial phrases, for example, "Despite rapidly progressing in the field of music..." and "...strategies implemented by several state authorities...". There are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions throughout the text, such as "influence the people is that music can provide" and treating "limit" as a noun incorrectly in "it can be a limit to socio-economic growth". Punctuation and sentence boundaries are generally controlled, and these errors do not impede overall communication. This performance matches the descriptors for Band 6.0.

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