Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-22

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)

These days, a bunch of students want to learn the courses other than their compulsory subjects as a source of learning, While other think that they have to be more focused and oriented toward their studying for graduation. This is the best strategy to learn and gain expertise in different subjects, but on the other side compromising the compulsory subject is in vain. According to my opinion students should pay focus attention on there essential as well as there elective subjects to get more knowledge.

Elective subjects are the source of information from different fields. These days, students are eager to learn and pay attention to their elective subjects. Because they are the hub of experience in the same field. For example, I am a plant breeding and genetics student, In addition to my compulsory courses. I selected the elective courses from the field of plant pathology and Agri biotechnology. As in addition to learn the genetics of plants from my compulsory subject. I also learn the different emerging biotech technologies such as CRISPR/CAS9, transcriptomics, metabolomics, also get experience in the studies of pathology of plants, such as leaf blast, bacterial blast. These things help me to gain alot of knowledge of the same thing in different ways as a plant scientist it broadens my mind to think critically and deeply on differnt aspects of plants. With this broad range of knowledge it helps me to make a proposals and win the different projects like NSFC.

On the hand, pay more attention to non-essential courses instead of essential courses limitize the grades of students. As compulsory courses are the key important courses of the graduation requirement. Without having a clear and good knowledge on these and go to pay more focus on elective is waste of time and efforts. For example, a student of soil science should learn the basics of soil chemistry, without choosing the elective courses of Agribusiness management.

Finally, I would like to say. Balance in everything is a key of success. Having knowledge and experience from the elective courses, without benefiting from compulsory courses, is a waste of of time and effort.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—learning other subjects versus focusing solely on a qualification—and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are supported with relevant personal examples, such as studying plant breeding and genetics along with plant pathology and biotechnology. However, some arguments lack full extension and suffer from minor lapses in clarity, particularly in the conclusion and counter-argument sections. For instance, the discussion on how focusing on non-essential courses limits grades is slightly underdeveloped. Overall, the writer meets the requirements of Band 6.5 to 7.0 by covering all parts of the prompt with a clear position and supporting examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a concluding statement. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'For example' and 'Finally, I would like to say'. However, paragraphing and sentence transitions occasionally feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as starting a sentence with 'As in addition to learn' or 'On the hand, pay more attention'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the overall progression could be smoother. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 6 category, as the overall arrangement is coherent despite faulty or mechanical cohesion in places.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to the academic topic, including terms like 'compulsory subjects', 'elective courses', 'Agri biotechnology', and 'transcriptomics'. There are attempts at less common vocabulary, but also noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'pay focus attention', 'limitize the grades', and 'waste of of time'. Spelling and word formation errors, such as 'differnt' and 'alot', occasionally occur. The lexical range is adequate for the task and allows the writer to communicate main ideas, but inaccuracies keep the score at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition with subordinate clauses and participial phrases, as seen in 'With this broad range of knowledge it helps me to make a proposals'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including fragment sentences ('As in addition to learn the genetics...'), incorrect verb forms ('without choosing the elective courses' where 'instead of' might be meant), and missing articles. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 6.5, making Band 6.0 the most accurate descriptor.

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

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