Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-03
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)
Nowadays, in universities many students prefered to learn other subjects instead of main subjects. However, others believe that we should pay attention on that subects which are related to our course. I believe that focus on other subjects also can be a benefit. This essay will discuss both views in upcoming paragraph.
On the one hand, additional subjects can be benefecial in future such as Artificial intelligence. To elaorate, many universities added AI as an additional subject because in future AI will be needed in every field and students prefered learning AI tools rather than their course subjects. As a result they can nhance their thinking ability which will be a benefit fot their career. For instance, in China many shools and universities provide AI gadgets to learn about them. Moreover, to built a career number of skills are esential because technology is increasing day by day and to built a better career we should need learn variety of skills like computer programe skills.
On the other hand, focus on other subects can affect academic performance. To explain, due to focus on another suects academic performance can affect because every subject needed attention to understand. If students ficusing on other subjects classroom performance will be affected. For example, subjects like Matematics, Eglish and Science.
Thus it can be concluded that due to focus on additional subjects students can distracted from main subect but additional subjects can be beneficial fot their future because in future much skills will be needed for a better career.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the main parts of the task by discussing both views on whether university students should study other subjects or focus solely on their core curriculum, and the writer provides a personal opinion. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed. While the student attempts to support the view that learning additional subjects like Artificial Intelligence is beneficial, the explanations tend to repeat similar points about careers rather than extending them with fully realised arguments. Similarly, the counterargument regarding the impact on academic performance is brief and lists subjects like 'Matematics, Eglish and Science' without further expansion. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to fully extend their ideas with more thorough explanations and specific, well-elaborated examples.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable structure, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate the different viewpoints, such as using 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by mechanical or repetitive cohesive devices, such as the frequent use of 'To explain' and 'To elaorate'. Referencing is not always entirely clear, and transitions between sentences can feel abrupt, which prevents the essay from achieving a smoother logical flow. To improve, the writer should employ a wider variety of transitional phrases naturally and ensure that the links between sentences guide the reader more clearly through the arguments.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited and barely adequate for the task. The student attempts some less common vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'Artificial intelligence' and 'academic performance', but there are noticeable errors in spelling, word form, and word choice that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples of lexical inaccuracies include 'prefered' instead of 'prefer', 'subects' instead of 'subjects', 'elaorate' instead of 'elaborate', 'nhance' instead of 'enhance', 'built' instead of 'build', 'programe' instead of 'programme', and 'distracted' used in a slightly awkward grammatical pattern. To achieve a higher band score, the writer must expand their lexical range, demonstrate more precise word choice, and eliminate spelling and word-form errors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writing demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, tense consistency, prepositions, and articles, such as 'we should pay attention on that subects', 'focus on other subjects also can be a benefit', 'every subject needed attention', and 'students can distracted'. These errors require some effort from the reader to untangle the intended meaning. To move up to the next band, the writer needs to increase the proportion of error-free sentences, improve the accuracy of complex sentence patterns, and ensure better control over basic grammatical agreements and auxiliary verbs.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.