Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-06

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)

Students of higher studies want to learn extra subjects along with their main subjects. While others argue that pupils should give more concentration to their studies to build a successful career. Although both views have some merit, I believe learning more subjects is important for a student; this is because additional subjects will help them to develop broader knowledge. Meanwhile, if they give their entire time to their studies, they might get frustrated very easily.

On the one hand, those who support learning other subjects find it beneficial for students because when students are interested in various topics, they actually want to enlarge their knowledge and understand the world. As a result, they often do better on exams. However, this interest helps them to become career-focused. For example, students who are studying more topics can easily generate many ideas. Moreover, this develops their thought process quickly.

On the other hand, some individuals believe that students should give all their attention to studying for a better future. By doing this, they might gather some information, but eventually, they will get tired and distracted. This is because they are only facing stress from giving their full concentration to their education and qualifications. For instance, students get exhausted by giving their whole time to studying. They often feel unattached to the people around them.

In conclusion, for a student, studying is the only way to build a better future, but they should not do it in an excessive way. Every student should complete their education with enjoyment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt only partially. While you mention both views regarding whether students should focus solely on their main subjects or explore additional topics, your position is stated rather simply at the beginning, and your ideas remain limited and under-developed. For instance, in the second body paragraph, you claim that studying more topics helps students generate ideas and develop their thought processes quickly, but you do not explain how or why this happens with specific supporting details or well-developed examples. Similarly, the counterargument concerning stress and exhaustion is introduced in general terms without deep elaboration. To move to a higher level, you need to extend your arguments further by providing robust explanations and fully realized examples that thoroughly explore both sides of the issue before drawing a well-reasoned conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organization to your writing, with a clear four-paragraph structure comprising an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, there is a lack of clear overall progression throughout the text. While you attempt to use cohesive devices such as "On the one hand," "On the other hand," and "In conclusion," some of these markers feel mechanical or are used slightly inaccurately to connect your thoughts. For example, the transition "However, this interest helps them to become career-focused" in the second paragraph abruptly shifts the logical flow without a smooth bridge from the preceding sentence about exam performance. Additionally, referencing is occasionally repetitive, and paragraphing could be managed with greater skill to ensure a seamless logical flow from one idea to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is limited and minimally adequate for the task. You attempt some less common words and phrases, such as "career-focused," "frustrated," and "exhausted," but there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation that can cause some difficulty for the reader. For instance, writing "give more concentration to their studies" is unnatural; standard collocation would be "concentrate more on their studies" or "focus greater attention on their studies." Similarly, phrases like "feel unattached to the people around them" lack precision. To achieve a higher score, you should demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary with more accurate use of less common lexical items, precise word forms, and natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Your grammar displays a limited range of sentence structures. While you attempt some complex sentences, such as your introductory concessive clauses ("While others argue..."), your attempts at complexity are often faulty, and there are frequent grammatical errors. For example, writing "students of higher studies want to learn extra subjects" contains awkward phrasing, and the sentence "By doing this, they might gather some information, but eventually, they will get tired and distracted" exhibits basic structure control. Errors appear frequently in prepositions, article usage, and clause connection, such as "giving their whole time to studying." These frequent errors require the reader to occasionally decode your intended meaning. Incorporating a wider variety of error-free complex sentence structures will significantly improve your performance in this area.

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