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)

Subject selection has always been a difficult task for students. In the ancient times, the intellectuals were used to be the polymaths and study multiple dimensions at a time. But now, every subject has been developed to the vast ranges that it is nearly impossible to study additional subjects along with the main subjects. It might be disturbing the quality of main qualification.

University students have both side of opinions. The one who believes that learning peripheral subjects will enhance their skills, are might be the multi-taskers. They are one who always achieved multi-tasking in their life or at least they wish to achieve it. There can be another reason that these students are may be confused about the outcome of their primary learnings in terms of skill development and the practicle life implementation. The confusion is also about the emerging of new subjects in every few months.

There is another type of university students who argue that main or primary subjects are enough to get most of their attentions. They believe it as dishonest to divert your attentions to the peripheral subjects. It reduces the productivity of primary subjects in the practicle life. They believe that a person who is a 'jack of all trades but master of none' is the person with no purpose. The students who are focusing the primary subjects only, have achieved consistency in their life. Consistency is the most important thing in a successful life.

In my opinion, one should be focused on one thing at a time. When you are admitted to a university for a specific degree or qualification, you must be sincere to it first. Other skills and learnings can be achieved after that. Ironically, I personally did not practiced the same. I did multi-tasking in my university era, because I was keen to learn more. But now I believe, it was a wrong decision.

Concluding the whole argument, I must say that subject selection, addition subjects learning or sticking to the primary subjects only are all subjective opinions. It is upto a student, whether it suits him/her or not.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation of why students might want to learn peripheral subjects is vague, relying on generalisations about 'multi-tasking' rather than concrete academic or professional benefits. Similarly, the argument against additional subjects is repetitive. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments lack depth and specific examples, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The conclusion is also a bit weak, as it retreats from the previously stated opinion by suggesting the choice is entirely subjective.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'The one who believes that...' or 'There can be another reason that...'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the flow between ideas could be smoother to achieve a higher level of cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'practicle life implementation' (practical), 'emerging of new subjects' (emergence), and 'did not practiced' (did not practice). While the student attempts to use some academic vocabulary like 'polymaths' and 'consistency', the overall range is limited, and some expressions are repetitive or slightly unnatural in an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. Examples include 'In the ancient times, the intellectuals were used to be the polymaths' (incorrect passive construction), 'every subject has been developed to the vast ranges' (unnatural collocation), and 'The one who believes... are might be' (subject-verb agreement and modal error). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of these errors limits the score, as the majority of sentences are not error-free.

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