Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 university students want to learn about different subjects apart from their main field of study. some people believe that students should give all their time and attention to their qualification. This essay will discuss both views and give my opinion. studying other subjects can be very useful for university students. Firstly, it helps students to gain more knowledge and understand different areas. For example, a student who is studying engineering can also learn about business or communication, which may help them in their future job. Secondly, learning different subjects can make students more creative because they can get ideas from various fields. In my opinion, university is not only a place for getting a degree, but also a place where students can develop many kind of skills.some people think that students should concentrate mainly on their qualification. University courses are often difficult and students need to spend a lot of time for assignments, exams and projects. If students spend too much time on other subjects, they may not have enough time to complete their main studies properly. For instance, medical students have to study a huge amount of information, so focusing on unrelated subjects could make their study more stressful. Therefore, giving more attention to the main subject can help students achieve better academic results. studying additional subjects has several benefits, such as developing wider knowledge and useful skills. Nevertheless, students also need to focus on their main qualification because it is important for their future career. I believe students should find a balance between both, rather than completely ignoring other subjects or their main studies

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—studying additional subjects versus focusing strictly on the main qualification—and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended with relevant examples, such as an engineering student learning business or communication and medical students handling large volumes of information. However, some arguments remain slightly generalised and could be further elaborated with deeper analysis to fully reach a higher band. Overall, the positioning is consistent and the task is well satisfied.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a clear overall progression and is divided into appropriate paragraphs, separating the introduction, the two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal shifts in arguments, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Nevertheless'. However, paragraphing mechanics show minor issues, such as missing capitalisation at the start of sentences like 'some people think' and 'studying additional subjects'. Referencing and logical flow are generally clear, but the mechanical faults and occasional lack of sophisticated transitional phrasing keep this criterion at a solid functional level.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying ideas about education and career preparation. The student attempts some less common phrasing, such as 'main field of study', 'academic results', and 'future career'. However, there are limitations and inaccuracies, such as 'develop many kind of skills' (instead of 'kinds') and repetitive use of basic terms like 'subjects' and 'students'. Spelling is mostly accurate, but word choice lacks the precision and flexibility characteristic of higher band levels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional and subordinate clauses such as 'If students spend too much time on other subjects, they may not have enough time...' Grammatical control is generally decent, and communication is never impeded. However, there are noticeable mechanical and grammatical errors, particularly missing capitalisation at the beginning of several sentences (e.g., 'many university students', 'some people think', 'studying additional subjects') and a missing pluralization ('many kind of skills'). These recurring mechanical slips prevent the score from reaching a Band 7.

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