Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-01

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 is often argued between students if they should have additional subjects alongside their main ones or if they should only focus on their required subjects. I believe that students should be able to take on extra subjects if they are truely passionate about learning them.

Firstly, it is important to understand why some students would feel the need to add additional subjects to their course. This could be fueled by the need of extra knowledge that they crave or as a means to busy themselves in something slightly different from their usual material.

Secondly, for the students who do not want to study any additional subjects, this could be mainly due to thinking "why should i learn this when i have no need for it?" which is correct in its own regard. For them extra subjects are more of a burden that they have to bear instead of fuel for their knowledge hence not agreeing with the addition of extra subjects.

in conculsion, i think both the sides are correct in their own regard. One should not be denied knowledge if he craves it, while the other must not be burdened by it. Therefore i feel that a system should be devised to not hinder those who wish to learn extra while also not burdening or shaming the others who only wish to learn what is necessary. This system should however be fair so that the other students dont feel pressurized to taken up extra world load just to not lag behind their peers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that students should learn other subjects and that they should focus solely on their main qualification—and presents a clear position in the conclusion. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the second paragraph mentions that extra subjects are fueled by a 'need of extra knowledge', but this point is not fully extended or supported with specific examples or deep reasoning. Similarly, the explanation regarding students who prefer to focus only on their core subjects relies on a generalized rhetorical question rather than exploring the underlying academic or professional motivations in detail. To move to a higher level, the writer needs to expand on these main arguments with more thorough elaboration and concrete examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement and logical paragraphing, with each paragraph addressing a distinct aspect of the prompt, such as the view supporting additional subjects, the view against them, and the final synthesis. The writer attempts to sequence ideas using transitional markers like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'in conculsion'. However, the cohesion can feel slightly mechanical, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'one should not be denied knowledge if he craves it, while the other must not be burdened by it', where the pronoun reference between singular and plural forms is slightly inconsistent. To achieve a higher band, the progression of ideas needs to be smoother, and cohesive devices should be used more flexibly without relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the writer's general ideas with terms like 'passionate', 'additional subjects', and 'burden'. There are, however, noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form, such as spelling 'truely' instead of 'truly', 'in conculsion' instead of 'conclusion', and using 'world load' instead of 'workload'. Additionally, phrases like 'busy themselves in something' and 'fuel for their knowledge' display awkward collocations. The lexical range is limited to mostly common terms, and attempts at less common vocabulary lead to these slips. To improve, the writer should focus on expanding their range of academic vocabulary, ensuring accurate word forms, and refining collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use relative clauses and conditional structures, such as in the final sentence regarding a system that does not hinder those who wish to learn. However, there are frequent errors in punctuation, capitalization, and grammar, including missing capitalization at the beginning of sentences and in the word 'i' instead of 'I', capitalization errors in the middle of sentences ('in conculsion'), and minor prepositions issues such as 'pressurized to taken up' instead of 'pressurized to take up'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they persist throughout the text and prevent the grammar from reaching a higher standard. Incorporating a wider variety of error-free complex structures will elevate this criterion.

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