Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-24

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 universities in various countries offer multiple subjects in addition to the main subjects. So, some students wants to grab this opportunity. Whereas, some believe that all the time and attention should be devoted to the studying to the main subjects which will help them to study it efficiently and score well.

Studying additionally with the main subjects could add an extra impression to their qualification. Primary reason is that it will give them brownie points and if they feel more interested towards the additional subjects it will help to persue with that carrier further. To give an example, some schools in India till 10th class offers choice between hindi and extra subjects like punjabi, sanskrit, french etc. It is complusory for a student to study the main subject (hindi) as a curriculum along with an additional subject till 10th class after that they give a choice to the students to choose as per their interest area.

On the other hand, It is also important to give the time and attention towards the main subjects as per curriculum as that have been set by education board system on the bases of choice of qualification one is trying to persue. To give a reason , the subjects in curriculum plays crucial role as the score of those subjects will decide the future of students and should be treated as a priority. For example, in schools English, Maths and Science subjects are the main subjects in the curriculum if a student focus goes to the extra subject like punjabi this will not help him to score well in the class.

However, I believe that government should offer some awareness among students and the education board to give a chance to the students who would like to study extra subjects as an option and give them the option to replace it with the one main subject.

In conclusion, the government should provide the feedbacks to the education board and pledge to make the changes in education system.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on studying additional subjects alongside a main curriculum and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are generally relevant, though the development tends to be somewhat repetitive and relies heavily on broad examples, such as Indian school curriculums. For instance, the argument regarding 'brownie points' lacks academic depth and formal tone. Furthermore, the conclusion shifts focus unexpectedly towards government intervention rather than summarizing the main arguments directly related to university education. Consequently, the task response meets the criteria for Band 6, as the main parts are addressed, but the development of ideas lacks full extension and precision in places.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible progression of ideas across paragraphs. Paragraphing is utilized to separate the introduction, two body paragraphs presenting opposing views, a personal opinion, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like 'On the other hand, It is also important' contain capitalization errors and awkward punctuation. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun 'that' in 'as that have been set by education board system'. Cohesive devices are present but are sometimes overused or inaccurately deployed, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 descriptor category for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common collocations and lexical items such as 'curriculum', 'qualification', and 'devoted'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and form, including 'wants' instead of 'want', 'persue' instead of 'pursue', and 'complusory' instead of 'compulsory'. Colloquial or informal expressions like 'brownie points' are also inappropriate for an academic essay. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding overall communication, the frequent word-formation errors and limited precision prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability to construct multi-clause sentences. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'some students wants', 'devoted to the studying to the main subjects', and 'the education board system on the bases of choice'. Punctuation errors are also apparent, particularly with unnecessary commas following transitional markers like 'On the other hand, It'. Although these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the writing from reaching the Band 6 threshold, reflecting a weaker control of grammatical structures.

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