Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-05

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)

There is discussion going on that some students are keen to learn other subjects over their academic subjects, whereas others believe that students should give extra important and attention to studying only for qualification. While both views have merit, I believe that students should learn other subjects rather than studying only for a qualification.

Those who favour that giving attention to studying for a qualification is crucial for students in terms of better academic performance and greater career opportunities. For example, student who study more sincerly in his academics will have more better result and have better opportunities for college placements. Moreover, studying for qualification is essential for pursue a degree, because it help students to pass their examination. passing exam is a vital as dropout rate is increasing nowadays. For instance, student who fail in their exams will drop from the college and give importance to other things.

On the other hand, some university students want to learn about other subjects with their main subject is because of gaining extra skills are as important as study. Extra skills such as sports help students to focus on their health and for personal well-being. For example, student who plays any sports with his academics will tend to have less stress and good physical health as well as mental health. Additionally, not only sports but other subjects such as on communication and on improving soft skills help students to develop their overall growth. This is why I believe that studying other subjects are as important as studying core subjects.

In conclustion, although studying core subjects are important for a qualification, I believe that studying extra subject gives students more knowledge and bridge the skills gap.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on whether students should learn extra subjects or focus solely on qualifications, and it provides a clear personal position in the introduction and conclusion. However, the ideas are somewhat limited and under-developed. For instance, the paragraph supporting the focus on qualifications relies on repetitive points about passing exams and avoiding dropouts rather than exploring deeper academic arguments. Similarly, the discussion on learning extra subjects touches on sports and soft skills, but these ideas lack extended supporting examples. While the prompt instructions were met and exceeded in terms of length (noting that nine words copied from the prompt were excluded from the count), the overall development remains at a restricted level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance and an identifiable four-paragraph structure. Paragraphs are used logically to separate the two opposing views and the writer's opinion. However, cohesion at the sentence level is sometimes mechanical or faulty. The writer attempts to link ideas using standard transitional markers like 'For example', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand', but referencing and referencing chains are occasionally unclear, such as 'some university students want to learn about other subjects with their main subject is because of...'. Paragraphing is sufficient, but smoother progression between sentences would elevate the organizational quality further.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to use less-common lexical items such as 'qualification', 'academic performance', 'placement', 'well-being', and 'soft skills'. Nevertheless, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and word formation throughout the text. Examples include 'give extra important' instead of 'importance', 'more sincerly' instead of 'sincerely', 'more better' instead of 'better', and 'for pursue' instead of 'to pursue'. There are also minor spelling and typographical errors, such as 'conclustion'. While these issues do not entirely impede communication, they restrict the vocabulary score to a modest level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying primarily on a mix of simple sentences and a few attempts at complex forms. Unfortunately, attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty, leading to noticeable structural errors. Examples include agreement issues like 'student who study' and 'student who fail', incorrect verb patterns such as 'is essential for pursue', and awkward clause integration like 'some university students want to learn about other subjects with their main subject is because of gaining...'. Frequent errors in grammar, articles, and prepositions inside grammatical patterns appear throughout the text, often causing some difficulty for the reader and keeping the accuracy at a restricted level.

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