Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-12
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)
Alongside with their main subjects some undergraduates are wanted to learn about other topics. Others argue that it is more crucial to spend all their and attention to study for a qualification. I think it really depends on the intelligence of student, learning about new topics really help them in the future, while the average students should only be focused on their main subjects.
Some univirsity students are more active and intelligent among the others, so they must learn new academic things alongside their main topics. Because they have a creative and problem solving mind, they easily adapt any subject which is a bit relevant with their main subjects. For instance, a person who is really good in computer sceince, but if in his course he not have subjects like A.I, then he must learn this topic with his main course. Because it is going to be really help ful for him in the future.
On the other hand, some individuals are not really good at their studies, so they want to remain focused on their main subjects. Due to their comprehension with studies, they are even struggle to pass their syllabus. For example, a student who is failing again again in the same class,so it will become difficult for him to learn other subjects, while failing in main subjects.
In my opinion, it's totaly depends upon the students. If the individuals are really good in their main subjects, then they should learn new topics. But if they are not really good at studies they should avoid this.
In conclusion, I think it really depends on the IQ level and the intelligence of the student, if he is excellent in his main topics then he go for it, if not he must to avoid this and remain focused on his chapters.
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
You discuss both views and give a clear, repeated opinion: students who do well should explore other subjects, while those who struggle should focus on their qualification. The examples about a computer science student learning AI and a student failing the same class are relevant to this position. However, the response only partly develops the task: it does not explain the broader value of studying additional subjects or why concentrating exclusively on a qualification may benefit students beyond those who are struggling. The argument also relies heavily on students’ intelligence or “IQ level,” rather than considering factors such as workload, career goals, or transferable skills. Develop each side with fuller reasoning and a more balanced example to make the response more complete.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your opinion, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and several ideas are repeated rather than advanced: the opinion that it “depends” on the student appears in both the introduction and conclusion, with little added reasoning. Some links are awkward or incomplete, such as “Because they have a creative and problem solving mind” and “while failing in main subjects.” Use complete sentences and make the relationship between each example and its point explicit. A clearer sequence of claim, explanation, and example would strengthen the overall flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “qualification,” “comprehension,” “creative,” and “problem solving,” and the reader can generally understand your main ideas. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning less natural. For example, “are wanted to learn” does not express the intended idea, “good in computer science” is an awkward collocation, and “help ful” is incorrectly written as two words. There are also spelling errors such as “univirsity,” “sceince,” and “totaly.” Build a more precise academic vocabulary and check spelling and word forms carefully; using accurate phrases such as “choose to study,” “perform well in,” and “benefit their future career” would improve clarity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “while,” “if,” and “because.” Nevertheless, the range is limited, and complex constructions are often faulty. Examples include “Others argue that it is more crucial to spend all their and attention,” where the sentence structure is incomplete, and “Due to their comprehension with studies, they are even struggle,” which has an incorrect clause pattern and verb form. Agreement and sentence construction also need attention in “learning about new topics really help them” and “then he go for it.” Punctuation is inconsistent, particularly where clauses are joined with commas. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement, articles, and clause boundaries before adding complexity.
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.