Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

There are differing opinions of university students regarding learning additional courses and entirely focusing on major subjects and devoting most of time to the major course. While some students maintain that we should learn extra subjects regarding to major course, others argue that we should devote all time and focus to main subjects rather than adding extra subject, I strongly argue with the former view.

To begin with a major factor that why we should also gain relevant information regarding subject is that by doing so we can understand the context and related important information that is not given in our course book.One of the primary reason why we should got additional knowledge is that sometimes our textbooks are concise and could not provide enough information. In addition, we have to research the missing information from Google and internnet .Therefore, we should add relative subjects in our main course to fullfil the research work.

Another worth concidering factor is that students should spent all the time for learning the main subject and paying all attention to it rather than wondering other relevant books. This can be explained bt the fact that in some competitive exams like MDCAT which is medical entry test requires full attention to the text book instead of other guidebooks. Hence the outcome of this depends on the conditions whether is someone reading for a tough examination or a standard.

In light of these conciderations,the long term implications are likely to be significant according to the course type if someone is struggling with competion exam he should pay all the attention to major book, and someone who had general exam might wonder relative books. I am inclined to believe ,although both factors are worth concidering but we should also read relevant books to main course.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present both views and state a preference for learning related additional subjects, so the response addresses the main parts of the prompt. The explanation that textbooks may be concise and that further research can fill gaps is relevant, but it is repeated and not illustrated with a specific example. The opposing view is supported by the MDCAT example, yet the link between this exam and studying only the main subject could be explained more fully. Your position also becomes less clear at the end: you favour extra reading, but conclude that the best choice depends on the type of examination. Develop each view with a clear reason and example, then make your final opinion consistent with your introduction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “To begin with,” “Another worth considering factor,” and “In light of these considerations” help readers follow the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several ideas are connected mechanically with “In addition,” “Therefore,” and “Hence.” The final paragraph combines a conditional summary with your opinion, making the overall line of argument harder to track. Some references are also vague, such as “the outcome of this” and “both factors.” Use clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and ensure the conclusion directly resolves the contrast established in the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “major subjects,” “additional knowledge,” “competitive exams,” and “full attention,” which allows you to discuss the issue. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “long term implications.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, including “regarding to major course,” “relative subjects,” and “wondering other relevant books.” Spelling errors such as “internnet,” “concidering,” and “competion” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim to use natural academic collocations and check spelling carefully; more precise vocabulary would help distinguish supplementary study from preparation for a qualification.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a contrast clause beginning “While some students maintain…” and a conditional idea about examination types. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. For example, “the primary reason why we should got additional knowledge” has an incorrect verb form, while “whether is someone reading” has faulty word order. There are also problems with agreement and sentence boundaries, as in “One of the primary reason” and “course book.One.” Practise building accurate clauses first, then combine them; check verb forms, subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation before submitting.

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.