Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-16

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)

In contemporary epoch, university pupils often want to learn about other disciplines in addition to their main subjects.however, others opine that they should give full attention and focus towards the study just for qualification. this will compare both approaches and i believe former statement has more advantages.

on one hand, students should learn additional subjects because this will help of enhance their knowledge and skills.thus, they can get know about foreign languages which will definetely give benefits them in future and this also improves their interpersonal skills . moreover, study additional subjects generates wider perspective in individual mind and helps to generate more ideas regarding various fields.for instance, in chandigarh university artificial intelligence and punjabi was demanded by students so they can also learn more about technology and and punjabi culture in universities.

On other side, it is alleged that attention towards major subjects should be more because this will help to improve their overall scores and provide proper knowledge about their field.moreover, this will help to become a master and can easily get jobs in future just by showing good grades in marksheet. for instance, in india usually students study just to score good marks and dont focus to increase their knowledge because here students get jobs on the basis of their grades.

to sum up, the both approaches had strong points but advantages of learnng additional subject in universities as this will enhance knowledge and skills outweight the merits of giving time and attention to study just for qualification.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on whether university students should study additional subjects or focus exclusively on their main qualifications, and the writer provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the discussion on additional subjects mentions enhancing knowledge and interpersonal skills, but the supporting example regarding Chandigarh University is underdeveloped and contains repetitive wording. Similarly, the alternative viewpoint relies heavily on general assertions about the Indian education system without deep extension. While the main requirements of the task are met, the depth of explanation places this response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear four-paragraph structure that follows a logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a conclusion. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical due to persistent issues with punctuation, capitalization, and cohesive devices. For example, sentences often begin without proper capitalization (e.g., "however, others opine", "on one hand"), and spacing errors around punctuation marks are common. Cohesive phrases like "on one hand" and "On other side" are used to signal shifts, but referencing and transitions can be clumsy, such as "this will compare both approaches". Paragraphing is present and appropriate for the task, but mechanical errors in linking elements keep this criterion at a Band 5.5 level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as "contemporary epoch", "interpersonal skills", and "wider perspective". However, there are noticeable lexical and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the text, such as "university pupils" instead of "university students", "help of enhance" instead of "help to enhance", and "study additional subjects generates" instead of "studying additional subjects generates". Additionally, spelling and collocation errors are present, such as "outweight" instead of "outweighs" and "learnng" instead of "learning". While communication is not impeded, these frequent minor errors prevent the lexical score from reaching a higher band, making Band 5.5 appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some attempt at variety with conditional and relative structures (e.g., "foreign languages which will definetely give benefits them"). However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors, including missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences, run-on structures, incorrect prepositions, and verb form errors (e.g., "dont focus to increase", "the both approaches had strong points"). While these errors do not completely obscure the writer's meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall readability and place the performance squarely within the Band 5.0 descriptors.

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

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