Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-10
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)
Learn about others subjects and give more prefrence to main subject has become a contentious subject of today's world. Debate centre on whether few university learns give more prefrence to learn about additional subject While, others believe give their all time and attention to main subjects. The primary object of this composition is to elucidate both perspectives and justify my stance supporting learn about others subjects are beneficial.
Beginning with the former perspective, the foremost justification is that learning about additional subjects are good for students because its helping to scholars show there hidden talent through this such as when students choose subject like in which they are interest they show their creative skills as well as boost there career skills which are vital for them. One more crux is that they boost there confidence level through additional subjects for example, when the take the others subjects they can easily boost there confidence in extra activities because they can get more knowledge about their future goals.
Examining the opposing viewpoint, a crucial point to elucidate is give attention to there qualification is most important part of life because it helping to students build there career. For instance when they that particular subjects which is related to there qualification they can get easily work in there field. Not only this can set there goals with help of these particular subjects such as research as been conducted in America in which shows most of university students choose subjects about there qualification so they can get easily there future goals.
To conclude, no doubt qualification are good for students but also additional subjects are prominent for learns because they can show there skills through this.
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
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the argument for additional subjects focuses primarily on 'hidden talent' and 'confidence' without exploring the broader academic or intellectual benefits. Similarly, the opposing view is somewhat underdeveloped, relying on general statements about career prospects. While the prompt is addressed, the supporting points lack depth and specific, well-integrated examples, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the points discussed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'One more crux is that' and 'Not only this can set there goals' feel unnatural and do not effectively link ideas. The progression of ideas within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by repetitive sentence structures and a lack of varied transition words. While there is an overall logical flow, the lack of sophisticated referencing and the reliance on simple connectors limit the coherence of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is significant repetition of basic words such as 'subjects', 'students', and 'career'. Furthermore, there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'learn about others subjects' instead of 'other subjects' and 'give more prefrence' instead of 'preference'. The student attempts to use some academic vocabulary, but these attempts are often marred by spelling errors (e.g., 'prefrence', 'there' instead of 'their') and incorrect usage, which occasionally impacts the clarity of the message.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently marred by grammatical errors. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'learning about additional subjects are good' and 'qualification are good'. Additionally, the misuse of pronouns (e.g., 'there' instead of 'their') and articles is persistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors and the lack of a variety of complex structures prevent the essay from achieving a higher score in this category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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