Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-21

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)

It has been observed lately that a few of the university going undergraduates are eager to learn various other subjects as a plus instead of their own majors. However, some people has relatively different point of view regarding this and they urges that spending more time with own coursework will enhance skills and productivity, promising a rewarding future. I believe that picking up numerous other minors can aid as a side skill later providing better employment opportunities and increasing knowledge.

There is a traditional belief that a student can excels in his life if he is focused and well-awareed about the advances happening in his field which hopefully are directly connected to his professional growth. Furthermore, better grades attract well established firms recruiters to hire such students on priority. For instance, a student who starts his career with a market competitive firm will make a good reputation more fastly and also become financially stable.

Despite of this, an undergraduate holding knowledge of not only his own field but is also familiar with various other kinds of things that are part of workplace will act as a multi-tasking individual. He is not dependant on others in any difficult situation. He will be more efficient towards understanding and adjusting in any kind of environment. He may have new strategies for solving problems and better developing ideas. It will enhace the personal growth and uplifts the confidence. For instance, a lawyer who has learned about the financial digits can also work as an income tax filer at the same time, making portals for others and getting them registered in the FBR.

In the conclusion, I agrees to the notion that understanding extra subjects is really helpful in the long time. They not only aid in earning more money but also expands one's vision and knowledge regarding various aspects of life. Additionally, it grows our interpersonal skills too while having the information only of our field will allow us to talk to those who can understand us, ultimately reducing our social circle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—focusing entirely on the main qualification versus learning a variety of other subjects—and clearly states the writer's position. The ideas are extended and supported, such as providing the example of a lawyer who understands financial digits to work as an income tax filer. While some of the supporting ideas and arguments could be elaborated further to reach a higher band, the overall treatment of the prompt is solid, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0. The position is clear throughout, and the main arguments are adequately developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, two body paragraphs representing different views and the writer's stance, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used throughout, such as 'Furthermore', 'Despite of this', and 'In the conclusion'. However, some of these transitions and referencing elements are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Despite of this' instead of 'Despite this'. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and there is a clear overarching progression of ideas, aligning well with the Band 6.0 to 6.5 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'undergraduates', 'multitasking', and 'interpersonal skills'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'university going', 'well-awareed', 'more fastly', and 'financial digits'. Spelling and morphological slips also occur, such as 'enhace' and 'agrees' in the conclusion. These lexical errors occasionally strain the reader, fitting comfortably within the Band 6.0 descriptor range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the response, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('some people has', 'they urges', 'I agrees') and incorrect prepositional usage ('spending more time with own coursework'). Complex structures are often faulty, and punctuation errors also appear. Because these errors persist across the text and occasionally impede fluency, although communication remains clear overall, the grammar aligns with a Band 5.5 to 6.0.

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

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