Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-12
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)
Some university students prefer to learn subjects beyond their main field, while other believe that they should only focused to obtaining their qualification. Although, focusing entirely on a major can help students develop specialized knowledge. In this essay we give discuss both the views and gives opinion.
On the one hand, concentrating only on the main subject can help student to achieve better academics result. University courses contain a large amount of complex material, so students who spend most of the time on their major may know their subjects more deeply. This can also be an important for career that require some specialized knowledge like engineering, doctor and law. Also knowledge can increase the opportunity for an employee in future. For example, a medical student need to more concentrate on studying subjects related to human body and diseases rather than studying unrelated course.
On the other hand, learning of the other subjects can provide wider range of experience. and skills. Studying courses like psychology, business, or about technology can help students to get different perspective and and becomes more advanced. In addition, employers often value graduates who have skills beyond their academic qualifications. For example, an accounting student who also learns basic computer programming may be able to use technology more effectively in the workplace.
In conclusion, although specialising in one subject is important, learning additional subjects can provide broader knowledge and greater career opportunities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| 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 conclusion. However, the essay fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the main points are relevant, they are somewhat under-developed; for instance, the examples provided are brief and could have been expanded to provide more depth. The introduction is also slightly repetitive in its phrasing. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph contains a fully realized example and that the overall length meets the task requirements to allow for a more comprehensive discussion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In addition' are used to signal shifts in the argument. However, there are some instances of mechanical or awkward phrasing, such as the sentence fragment 'and skills' in the second body paragraph. Additionally, the transition between ideas could be smoother. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the lack of sufficient length limits the ability to demonstrate more sophisticated cohesive techniques.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'specialized knowledge,' 'academic qualifications,' and 'workplace.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'academics result' instead of 'academic results' and 'doctor' instead of 'medicine.' To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader, such as 'other believe' (should be 'others believe'), 'only focused to obtaining' (should be 'only focused on obtaining'), and 'a medical student need to more concentrate' (should be 'needs to concentrate more'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary periods used as separators. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will significantly improve accuracy.
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.