Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some university students want to learn about other subjects in addition to their main subjects. Others believe it is more important to give all their time and attention to studying for a qualification. Discuss both these views and give your opinion. Give reasons for your answer and include relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Some undergraduates want to explore other subjects rather than just focusing on only main subjects in their university. However, others think that paying only attention to their main subjects is more significant.

Nowadays, more and more universities have enhanced their facilities and subjects, offering more additional subjects for educational purposes. For instance, in order to study Sports teacher major, sometimes people have to learn English and do some presentations in english. This is due to making the student improve their communication and presenting skills, which is crucial for being a teacher, while also developing their world language skills. Furthermore, although business majors, such as accountant are mostly matter of mathematics, sometimes universities make their business students learn about history.

Some students think additional subjects like these are important, because they see it as a way of learning about more things beyond their main subject, while acquiring new skills and exploring more sides of education.

However, some students believe this is not a crucial thing to do in their course. They want to give all of their time and motivation to their desired major, and main studies, which makes sense. If they have more and more other subjects, which they don't really need at the time, it may be unuseful for them. If students aren't intruged by lessons other than their study field, and think that is just a waste of time, they should have a right to not to study it.

In conclusion, I believe this is a matter of interest. Also, universities should first ask whether the student want to learn any other subjects beyond their main study, and split the students who said yes or no into two groups. Therefore, studnets can choose the studies they want to explore.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives: the benefits of studying beyond a major, illustrated by English and presentation skills for future teachers, and the concern that unrelated subjects may take time from a qualification. Your conclusion also gives a position, proposing that students choose whether to take additional subjects. However, the discussion is unevenly developed. The first view has examples, but the second relies mainly on the general claim that extra subjects may be unnecessary, without explaining how this affects students’ progress or offering a specific example. Your opinion is also framed as a matter of interest rather than clearly weighing the value of both approaches. Explain the benefits and drawbacks more fully, then state a direct, consistent judgement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph supporting broader study, a contrasting paragraph, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “Furthermore,” and “However” help signal the direction of the discussion. The progression is generally understandable, but some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Some students think additional subjects like these are important” follows examples without clearly distinguishing the writer’s explanation from students’ views. The final proposal about splitting students into groups also arrives abruptly. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example explicitly to the argument it supports. Avoid repeating “some students” and “main subjects” where pronouns or more precise references would make the flow smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to university study, including “qualification,” “communication,” “presenting skills,” and “educational purposes,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts to express more specific ideas, such as “exploring more sides of education.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, which limits precision: “enhanced their facilities and subjects,” “business majors, such as accountant are mostly matter of mathematics,” and “not intruged by lessons” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Spelling errors such as “studnets” and “intruged,” along with inconsistent capitalization of “English,” also reduce control. Build a more reliable range of academic collocations and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “If they have more and more other subjects … it may be unuseful for them” and a relative clause beginning “which makes sense.” These attempts show some range, and the main ideas remain understandable. However, errors in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and infinitive patterns recur. For example, “in order to study Sports teacher major” needs a more complete grammatical structure; “business majors, such as accountant are” has a number/agreement problem; and “a right to not to study it” uses an incorrect infinitive pattern. The final sentence also has agreement errors in “the student want” and “studnets can.” Review these patterns and simplify sentences when needed to maintain accuracy.

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