Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-01

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)

Nowadays, many students feel that it is necessary to learn about other subjects in addition to their main subjects; however, it is argued by other that they should give their all time attention to studying for a qualification. This essay will discuss why students should prioritize their main subjects but also spend some time learning other useful subjects.

On the one hand, a growing number of students believe that learning other subjects gives their broader knowledge and perspective. It is their view that learning outer skill provide various types of opportunities. To explain it simply, when pupils gain outer knowledge like, science background student can learn business and communication skill and it can help their future employment. Another common belief about studying different subjects can help students develop a variety of practical and transferable skills. That is say that if, when students who learn speaking skill may become better at presentation and in the future they can handle client very well in their workplaces.

On the other hand, some argue that focusing entirely on the main subject allows students to gain deeps knowledge and achieve their better academic result, because when students focus other subjects rather than main subjects this time break their concentrate and may reduce study time for the main qualification resulting in cannot achieved their goal. There is also an argument that concentrating their own subjects helps students experts in their chosen career field. For example when a medical students focus and spend their most of the time medicine become they specialized their profession.

I believe students should focus mainly on their major subject while also spending some time learning complementary subjects.

In conclusion, their is no reason why students should learn their main subject, but it is also true that we cannot neglect the need for learn other subjects. Personally, I think if focus on both subjects with the right attitude, this should be an absolutely valuable development their future career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of transferable skills versus the need for deep subject expertise. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how 'outer knowledge' helps employment is a bit repetitive and lacks specific, well-developed examples. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on your points with more detailed reasoning and more concrete, illustrative examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand' and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'That is say that if, when students who learn...'. Additionally, there are instances where the flow is interrupted by grammatical errors, making the progression of ideas feel slightly disjointed at times. Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words will help create a smoother, more professional flow throughout the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'transferable skills' and 'specialized their profession'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'give their all time attention', 'outer skill', and 'deeps knowledge'. These errors occasionally draw attention to the language rather than the content. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and ensuring that word forms (e.g., adjectives vs. nouns) are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there is a high frequency of grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('outer skill provide'), missing articles, and awkward sentence construction ('resulting in cannot achieved their goal'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent and occur in both simple and complex sentences. To achieve a higher score, you need to focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with verb tenses, pluralization, and sentence structure, to ensure that your writing is more polished and error-free.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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