Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-27

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 5.0)

The importance of learning other subjects, which has always been debateable has now up surged a lot of favour and against it, thus it becomes even more controversial. In my opinion, it can be agreed that the upside learning other subjects is instrumental indeed; however, it has some drawbacks as well. This essay will elaborate both assertions and will provide well-balance conclusion.

At the outset, there are numerous reasons why learning other subjects is unreservedly saliant, but the most conspicuous one lies in the fact that the perks associated with learning other subjects not only greatly influenced the individuals but has also left a great impact on society. For instance, in the recent year it has developed an ease and efficacy when its come about learning other subjects. Therefore, it is certainly a vital time for people to appreciate for the significance of learning other subjects for overall betterment of society.

On the other hand, there are some people who think differently and hold an opposing viewpoint which can certainly overwhelm the influence of learning other subjects. There are some drawbacks as high price of utilities; more criminal activities could be disadvantages. For instance, threat it imposes on society can be daunting in multifarious ways. Hence, it is apparent that the downside of learning other subjects cannot be overlooked.

To sum up, above mentioned dissertations illustrate both prospective about the impact of learning other subjects, while it is evident that it has various benefit its deleterious effects cannot be ignored and have to be addressed well-balanced against it.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response attempts to address the prompt regarding whether university students should study other subjects or focus exclusively on their main qualification. However, the development of ideas remains superficial and heavily relies on vague, memorised clichés rather than genuine elaboration on the topic. The writer states an opinion in the introduction and mentions both views, fulfilling the basic requirements of the task. However, the reasoning provided in the body paragraphs drifts significantly into disconnected generalisations—such as mentioning 'high price of utilities' and 'more criminal activities'—which have no clear relevance to the university curriculum debate. Because the ideas are not properly extended or supported with relevant examples, the response falls short of a higher band descriptor, aligning most closely with Band 5 due to limited and under-developed ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is organised into four standard paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is an attempt to use basic cohesive markers such as 'At the outset', 'On the other hand', and 'To sum up'. However, the overall progression of ideas is hindered by abrupt shifts and a lack of logical connection between sentences. For instance, the transition from discussing the benefits of learning other subjects to the societal drawbacks in the second and third paragraphs feels disconnected and repetitive. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'when its come about learning other subjects', which disrupt the flow and readability of the text. Overall cohesion is mechanical and faulty, placing it securely at Band 5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student attempts to use some less common vocabulary, such as 'debateable', 'up surged', 'saliant', 'conspicuous', and 'multifarious'. However, many of these attempts suffer from serious inaccuracies in word choice, spelling, and collocation (e.g., 'up surged a lot of favour', 'unreservedly saliant', and grammatical confusion around 'saliant' and 'prospective'). The vocabulary used often feels forced or inappropriate for the context, and numerous spelling and word-formation errors occur throughout the text (e.g., 'debateable' instead of debatable, 'well-balance' instead of well-balanced). While the range is minimally adequate to express basic intentions, the high frequency of lexical errors causes noticeable strain for the reader, fitting the Band 5 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is consistently weak. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the response, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the perks associated... not only greatly influenced... but has also left'), tense inconsistencies, and faulty clause structures (e.g., 'when its come about learning other subjects' and 'appreciate for the significance'). Punctuation is also problematic, leading to run-on structures and awkward phrasing, such as in the concluding sentence. Because errors are frequent across both simple and complex sentences and occasionally obscure the intended meaning, the grammar performance reflects a Band 5 level.

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