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)

A small proportion of university candidates want to focus on learning other subjects along with their main courses while the other proportion believe that they must concentrate on graduating successfully. I agree with with the view of learning new subjects. This essay will discuss both the views and my opinion in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, there are a few possible reasons why the students want to acquire knowledge besides their primary subjects. Firstly, the students could explore more of what interests them. Focusing only on the required subjects restricts them with getting to know more about different courses. Secondly, knowledge is power. More the knowledge students pursue, more is the value of their degree overall. Lastly, students get more than enough time to study for their exams which eliminates the risk of study overload.

On the other hand, the other minority believes that they must give their full concentration on just completing their degree. This is because some students already face a lot of difficulty learning main subjects. This would create an additional burden on their already hectic study schedules. Furthermore, focusing on the main subjects consumes both time and energy which makes them unable to study other subjects.

However, I agree that students must learn other subjects besides the mandatory ones. This increases their creativity and invites them to more interests and provides them extra knowledge which is a key fuel for skill development. In addition, there is always an added advantage when there are more things to learn daily. For instance, a student with added subjects in his course has better understanding and diversity in knowlege than a student who pursued a degree studying main subjects.

In conclusion, in my opinion, I agree with the perception of students learning other subjects in addition to the main subjects. Because they have increased creativity and knowledge compared to standard students. Moreover, this provides the candidates with more options to keep their long-term interest in.

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 learn extra subjects or focus solely on their main qualification, and a clear personal position is presented throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, particularly in the discussion of personal interests and skill development. For instance, the writer notes that exploring other subjects increases creativity and serves as a key fuel for skill development. However, some arguments, such as the claim about having more than enough time, border on over-generalisation and could be extended further with more robust examples. Overall, the task is successfully covered, aligning well with the expectations of Band 6.5 to 7.0, and is best placed at Band 6.5 due to slight under-development in a few supporting points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay presents a clear overall progression and logical organisation throughout. Paragraphing is utilised appropriately to separate the introduction, the two views, the writer's opinion, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'However'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical. For example, the transitional phrase 'with with' contains a typo, and sentences like 'More the knowledge students pursue, more is the value of their degree overall' show awkward cohesive structures. Furthermore, the final paragraph begins with a slightly repetitive reiteration of the position without adding new transitional depth. These minor mechanical flaws place the response solidly at Band 6.0 for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'qualification', 'mandatory ones', 'skill development', and 'diversity in knowledge'. However, there are noticeable word-choice errors and awkward collocations that prevent a higher score, such as 'learning other subjects along with their main courses' where 'alongside' might be more natural, and the grammatical error in 'diversity in knowlege' (spelling). The student also relies on repetitive phrasing, such as constantly referring to 'main subjects' and 'other subjects'. While communication is never impeded and the vocabulary is minimally adequate for complex ideas, the inaccuracies limit the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. There are several successful complex sentences, such as 'A small proportion of university candidates want to focus on learning other subjects along with their main courses while the other proportion believe that they must concentrate on graduating successfully.' However, grammatical errors occur with some frequency, including article misuse ('with with the view'), incomplete comparative structures ('More the knowledge students pursue, more is the value'), and punctuation slips. Although these errors do not impede communication, they demonstrate inconsistent control over complex structures, warranting a Band 6.0 score.

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

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