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)

Some university students prefer to study subjects other than their main field. While other pupils belive that they should devote their time and focus to obtaining their qualifations. This essay will discuss both these views, but i belive that studying other subjects can be beneficial if they maintain a proper balance.

On the one hand, studying different major can provide pupils broad knowledge and usefu skills. University education is not only about gaining a qualification but a developing a ability to understand different areas of life. For example, a business student who studies psychology me develop better relatioship with their clients. Similaraly, learning basic computer skills can help pupils in almost any carrer. In addition, exposure to other subject can assest students in future.

On the other hand, some people argue that students should concentrate their subjects because university qualification require considerable time and effort. Students have to attend lecture, perpare for examinationan and conduct research. If they spend too much studying unrelated subjects they become distracted and poorly in final examination. In addition, learners who want to become doctors, scientist and engineer might not get distracted with other major becuase this fileds need full attention, and insufficent knowledge may impact their performance which is considerable a negative impact on their future.

In conclusion, although focusing only main qualification is important for academic sucess. But i belive that studying other subjects can provide students plentiful knowledge and gain crucial communication and computer skills which is advantageous for their future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a clear opinion: you support studying additional subjects when students maintain “a proper balance.” Relevant examples, such as psychology helping a business student understand clients and computer skills benefiting many careers, support your position. However, some points are asserted rather than explained. The argument about demanding professional degrees lists doctors, scientists and engineers but does not fully show why taking another subject would necessarily harm their preparation. The conclusion also repeats your view without adding much synthesis. The response is one word below the required minimum, so it does not meet the task’s length requirement. Develop each main reason with a clearer explanation or a specific example, and ensure the response reaches the required length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The contrast is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the structure clear. Some connections are less smooth or precise, however. For example, “In addition, exposure to other subject can assest students in future” introduces a point without explaining how it relates to the preceding benefits. The final paragraph begins “although” and then adds “But,” creating an awkward link between the two clauses. Improve progression by explaining how each supporting point develops the paragraph’s main idea, and use linking expressions in grammatically complete, varied ways.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “qualification,” “broad knowledge,” “concentrate,” “research,” and “performance.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and phrases such as “proper balance” and “considerable time and effort” are appropriate. However, spelling errors and inaccurate word forms are noticeable, including “belive,” “qualifations,” “usefu,” and “Similaraly.” Some collocations are also unclear, such as “studying different major,” “assest students in future,” and “gain crucial communication and computer skills.” These inaccuracies sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common word partnerships, for example, “study a different subject” and “prepare students for the future,” rather than relying on approximate forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “if they maintain a proper balance” and a relative clause in “a business student who studies psychology.” This gives the response some structural variety. However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms recur. The opening uses a sentence fragment beginning “While other pupils…,” and the conclusion combines “although” with “But” in a way that leaves the relationship between clauses faulty. There are also problems with articles, plurals and agreement, as in “a developing a ability,” “attend lecture,” and “qualification require.” These issues do not prevent understanding overall, but they reduce accuracy. Practise complete clause structures and check articles, plural nouns and subject–verb agreement when editing.

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