Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-11
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)
Several university students tend to study subjects that are not in their course. Opponents argue that it is more significant to put all the precious time and concentration in their major for getting a degree. This has become a heated argument in contemporary society.
Where students students are supposed to give their heed this will be deliberated in this essay. In conclusion, I will write my perspective.
According to several students they are quite fond of learning and studying about other
subjects. These students are quite good at multitasking in addition they gain a lot of knowledge from this however few students just study about other subjects to learn a new
skill for instance a finance student his major is BS Commerce but he is learning about cyber security learning languages like c++ and java. This is because his desire is to provide services part time after studies.
On the other hand Opponents believe that a person is supposed to learn and study their major subjects rather than wasting their valuable time to an irrelevant subject. They believe time should be spend on their subject related books so they can get a scholarship
or an award for instance a diligent student decide that he think that he can learn about other subject however he fail in his own major by doing this. This why they consider that instead of risking our time we should learn about major.
In my perspective an individual should be aware of his education condition and spend all his time and effort in one place.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is limited. The arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack depth; for instance, the example of the finance student is relevant but not fully explored in terms of the broader implications for academic success. The conclusion is very brief and does not effectively summarize the main points or reinforce the position clearly. To reach a higher band, the student needs to extend their arguments with more sophisticated reasoning and ensure the position is consistently maintained throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. There is an over-reliance on basic transition words like 'for instance' and 'on the other hand', and some sentences are disjointed, such as the awkward transition in the introduction: 'Where students students are supposed to give their heed this will be deliberated in this essay.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the logical progression of ideas is hindered by the lack of cohesive devices that link sentences and paragraphs smoothly. Improved use of linking phrases and better paragraph structure would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. The student uses basic terms like 'good at', 'learn', and 'study' repeatedly. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'education condition' and 'give their heed', which sound unnatural. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of less common lexical items and the presence of minor errors in collocation prevent a higher score. Expanding the vocabulary to include more academic and topic-specific terminology would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'a diligent student decide that he think'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'time should be spend'), and missing articles or prepositions. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. The student should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly regarding verb forms and sentence construction, to improve the clarity and professional tone of the writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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