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)

Few university students want to learn about other subjects along with their cumpolsary subjects. However, others believe it is more crucial to focus only on their main subject. This essay favours the former ideology. Although the later opinion have its own benefits.

The people on one hand believe studying other subjects will increase their knowledge and skill set. Nowadays, as technology is progressing the preference for people with different skill set increases. For example, someone who study biology only have the information about the living life but if they choose studying other subjects along with it such as biochemistry or biotechnology it will open the doors for multidisciplinary professions as well. Which could be useful for the group who wish to study different subjects at a time. Moreover, in this progressing world where automation is being used in every aspect of life, limiting focus on only one major would not be a wiser decision.

Nevertheless, on the other hand focusing on an individual subject have its own benefits.

There are numerous fields which require complete knowledge and experience in a particular profession. For instance, a cardiologist trained for diseases specifically related to heart could be of more help instead of a general medical physician. Similarly, very steady hands are required to become a neurosurgeon. Which comes with alot of practice and focus. Therefore, in some subjects providing all of their attention to a qualified subject of interest should be prioritize.

Both opinions are justified for a specific circumstance. However, in my opinion studying with more than one course subject is very important in the progressing world. In conclusion, wether an individual choose to study number of subjects or a particular one. The ultimate goal should be the development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on whether university students should study multiple subjects or focus exclusively on their main course, and the writer provides a clear personal opinion. Ideas are generally relevant, such as mentioning how multidisciplinary knowledge prepares students for an automated world versus the need for intense focus in complex professions like neurosurgery. However, some ideas lack full extension and suffer from minor generalisations. For instance, the example of a cardiologist or neurosurgeon is valid, but the development remains slightly brief. Furthermore, there are some minor inaccuracies in task interpretation regarding the phrasing of the prompt, but overall, the position is well maintained and the core requirements are fully met, corresponding well to Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a clear overall arrangement with logical paragraphing separating the introduction, the two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'The people on one hand', 'Nevertheless, on the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in the sentence fragments 'Which could be useful...' and 'Which comes with alot of practice and focus.', which disrupt the flow of sentences. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but transitional links between ideas within paragraphs could be smoother and more sophisticated to reach a higher band. Overall, the organizational structure is coherent enough to merit a Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'multidisciplinary professions', 'automation', and 'neurosurgeon'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'cumpolsary' instead of 'compulsory', 'later' instead of 'latter', 'study' instead of 'studies', 'alot' instead of 'a lot', and 'wether' instead of 'whether'. Additionally, phrases like 'qualified subject of interest' are slightly unnatural in collocation. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, their frequency prevents the lexical score from reaching a Band 7. The vocabulary is minimally sufficient for clear communication, aligning with Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over conditional and subordinate structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent punctuation and structural errors, including sentence fragments ('Which could be useful for the group...', 'Which comes with alot of practice and focus.'), subject-verb agreement errors ('the preference for people with different skill set increases', 'focusing on an individual subject have its own benefits', 'the later opinion have'), and missing articles. These errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and demonstrate that simple structures are handled better than complex ones, placing the grammar firmly in the Band 5.5 to 6 range.

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