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)
It is widely argued that it's crucial for students to focus and spend time in studying main subjects, while other arugued that students should also learn other skills rather than only studying main topics. From my perspective students should learn all skills so that they can make carrer in any field.
Children should learn all the skills in which they are interested, so that they can make career in any field but also focus on main degree on which they are enrolled. Many students take admission in one subject by in the mid they loose interest or want to learn other subjects because they are focusing in their future. For instance, an engineering student can also medicine because he wanted to know how patients are treated, or inorder to gain more knowledge about science.
On the other hand, students should focus on the main subjects which they choose because they have to get degree and must try to persue the degree. In order to learn other subjects students took for granted the main subjects, or some may lead to failure. By switching subjects or changing interest will lead to worst consequences. For example, if a child want to become a doctor then after taking admission, they want to change the subject and want to become engineer so it may affect their life.
In conclusion, Student should think beforte choosing subjects, but it's also important for them to learn more skills with the one main subjects. This make easier for them choose career, which is suitable for them.
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 all parts of the task by discussing both views—focusing entirely on main subjects versus learning additional subjects—and presents a clear position in the introduction and conclusion. However, the development of ideas is limited and at times repetitive, which places the response in the middle band. For instance, the discussion on engineering students studying medicine is somewhat under-developed and lacks realistic supporting detail. Similarly, the counterargument regarding the consequences of changing interests is generalized without clear elaboration. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to extend the supporting arguments with deeper explanations and more concrete, fully realized examples rather than relying on brief, generalized statements.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognizable introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in transitions like 'On the other hand' which introduce slightly disjointed shifts in the argument. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as pronoun use in 'if a child want to become a doctor then after taking admission, they want to change the subject'. To progress to the next level, the writer should ensure that cohesive devices connect ideas more smoothly across sentences and paragraphs, creating a clearer overall progression of thought without repetitive phrasing.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing a sufficient range to discuss the topic of university studies. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'consequences' and 'qualification', but encounters noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form. Examples include 'make carrer', 'in the mid they loose interest', 'students took for granted', and 'worst consequences'. Additionally, there are spelling slips like 'arugued' and 'beforte'. These lexical inaccuracies and spelling issues cause some difficulty for the reader and restrict the score. To improve, the student needs to expand their control of word forms and collocations, ensuring greater precision in everyday academic expressions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The text demonstrates a limited range of structures, relying on a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence forms. However, attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to noticeable errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues such as 'a child want' and 'Student should think beforte', missing articles in 'can also medicine', and incorrect prepositions or verb tenses like 'spend time in studying'. These frequent errors require the reader to occasionally re-read parts of the text to grasp the intended meaning. Achieving a higher band requires mastering basic grammatical patterns, reducing errors in verb forms, and successfully employing a wider variety of complex sentence structures with accuracy.
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.