Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-18
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)
Many academic learners want to add other subjective courses as a additional subjects while opponents believe it is more significant to pay all attention and spend time only studying their main qualification. Nowadays, many students want to interdisciplinary on the other perspective some focus only the main courses. In this essay, Firstly, I will discuss about these views and gives relevant examples, secondly, why people chose multiple subjects and lastly, give my own opinion about these.
To the very beginning, why people chose multiple subjects for themselves because it provides them broaden horizon and perspective about different things and in this way they develop a creative and innovative mind. For example, if a computer students studies psychology he will explore new interest and it will broaden their critical thinking ability. The another reason is that choosing different courses may help a student to discover more career opportunities in the future. For instance, If a student acquire a well rounded knowledge in many subjects, he has more chances to achieve better job in a well known organisation or company in the future.
From the other hand, many students thought that if they pay attention to one subjects they will gain deep knowledge. Moreover, in this way, they develop specialised knowledge and perform well in examination because they do not have burden of multiple courses and it will not distract their mind and attention. For example, a computer student who only focus on programming he perform well rathar than a student who chose multiple courses because a computer student spent all his energy and time on the one main subject. Furthermore, these students get master the core concepts and understand each and everything in the better way. For instance, these students have deep knowledge about their chosen signal subject.
To conclude this essay, having deep knowledge is better than multiple knowledge because it makes the student confident and optimistic. From my perspective , I would like to give agreement in the behalf of one main course which a student give full attention and time.
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 essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument for focusing on one subject is restated multiple times using similar phrasing (e.g., 'gain deep knowledge', 'specialised knowledge', 'master the core concepts'). While the task is addressed, the supporting examples lack depth and specificity, relying on generic scenarios rather than well-developed illustrations. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on the implications of your points rather than simply restating them in different words.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude'. However, the flow is often hindered by mechanical or awkward transitions, such as 'To the very beginning' and 'From the other hand'. Additionally, some sentences are disjointed, making the progression of ideas feel slightly repetitive. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, and the paragraphing, while present, does not always effectively guide the reader through a sophisticated argument. Improving the variety and naturalness of your linking words will significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, but there are frequent issues with word choice and collocation. For example, 'subjective courses' is used incorrectly to mean 'additional subjects', and 'interdisciplinary' is used as a verb rather than an adjective. Phrases like 'give agreement in the behalf of' are non-standard and awkward. While you attempt to use more academic vocabulary, the inaccuracies occasionally impede the precision of your meaning. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that the words you choose are used in their correct grammatical form.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'a computer student... he perform well'), incorrect article usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'the another reason'). Some sentences are run-on or lack necessary punctuation, which affects readability. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic errors like verb tense consistency and pluralization to improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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