Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-04

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)

I completely support both of these views and know the importance of both, though both have their own advantages and disadvantages and not only that, it also depends on the person, if he can give time to both etc.

As the question said in some universities students wants to study more then 1 subject, it could be due to his interest in more then 1 subject or they want to learn new skills. This is a good thing to do as it would boost the students skill to handle stress, learn to multi task, and connect with new people with different fields. However this could have negative affects as well, student could get depressed and over pressured by studies due to continues assignments and workflow which could lead to demotivation and decrease in confidence, though if the student manages to go through all the workflow and pressure it would benefit him in the future, as he learnt more then one skill he would not be limited by not getting a job as when he gets rejected in one he can use the other skill that he has to find a new one or start his own business and get help to grow the business by taking advices from his batchmates and friends that he connected with.

As for the second view, it has its own benefits. Students who wants to work on just a single subject or field, does not mean that he cannot handle the excessive pressure of selecting 2 or more subject its just that they want to focus more onto the field they are in and try to be the best in it, this has both negative and positive aspects. Lets talk about the positive first, the students can be more focused which would help them to try to be the best in that subject, it would help increase their passion for their goals, if work hard they could be one of the best in there fields, giving a competitive edge over the other students which would help him get a job instantly. Now lets talk about the negative, the students might not be trained for excessive stress and work flow which would lead to failure as they would not be trained for certain situations they might face in their lives later on, if not work hard then it would be tough for them to get a job as the other students might be more competitive, due to only having one skill they might get replaced with machinery due to continues development in technology.

In conclusion I think that the ambition to learn about more then one subject is very good for students character development but for that the student would need to work real hard, if he is unable to do so then I think sticking to 1 subject would be a better option for them

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of multitasking versus the advantages of deep focus. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, and the explanation of points could be more sophisticated. For instance, the discussion on 'negative effects' of studying multiple subjects is a bit circular. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more specific, academic examples rather than general statements about stress or job prospects. The position is consistent throughout, which is a strength.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. Phrases like 'Now lets talk about the negative' and 'As for the second view' are used to transition, but they lack variety and sophistication. Additionally, some sentences are very long and run-on, which makes the flow feel slightly cluttered. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would enhance the overall coherence of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic terms like 'good thing', 'bad', and 'work hard'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'qualification', 'multitask', 'competitive edge'), there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'connect with new people with different fields' instead of 'from different fields'. Spelling errors, such as 'continues' instead of 'continuous' and 'advices' (which is uncountable), also occur, though they do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'students wants' instead of 'students want'), incorrect pronoun usage ('his' used for plural 'students'), and punctuation errors, particularly the lack of full stops, leading to long, run-on sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to basic grammar rules and sentence boundary control is necessary to improve accuracy.

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