Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-13

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 believed by certain undergraduates that focusing on other learning materials alongside with their academic learning. While others claim the main purpose of study should be gaining qualification. In this essay, both view will be discussed before giving an opinion.

In this contemporary world, academic knowledge put less importance for prospering in life. One of the prominent reasons for having desire to learn other subjects that individulas want to adapt through technological shifts. In some cases, there are not enough resources in their academic subjects to cope with modern technology, for this they found lacking in their learning which is why they intend to learn from various sources. For example, with the technological advancement people who are working in many organisation and companies undergone through a immense pressure from employers for not having enough skills so that they can cope with the technology. Consequently, the risk of losing employment is increasing day by day. Overall, the adaptibility and consistency is the key tools in today's world so that they can secure stability in their future work.

On the other hand, others opinion on studying to gain qualification have logical explanataion as well as. Without better qualification, people usually cannot apply for certain workplace. In this case, students from any decipline have to study hard and give a quantity of time for acquiring a best result which is required for upcoming phase of life. For example, some workplace when put an advertisement for hiring an employee the first criteria they look is "must be completed bachelors or masters on relevent discipline". In other word, individuals require certain qualification for entering the workplace.

In my opinion, undergraduate students should focus on other subjects in addition to their academic subjects because they need to develop their skills with the technological changes.

Summing up, I would like to reiterate that individuals should develop their interest in various learning materials, meanwhile, the focus should not move from academic learning as well as.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and state a clear preference for learning beyond a student’s main subject, so the response addresses the central parts of the prompt. The point that additional learning helps people adapt to technological change is relevant, and the qualification paragraph explains why employers may require a degree. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the first example shifts to workers facing pressure from employers rather than showing directly how university students benefit from studying another subject. Your opinion is also brief and largely repeats the earlier point, with little comparison of the two priorities. Develop each view with a specific student-focused example and explain how students can balance broader learning with qualification requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, a stated opinion, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “In my opinion” help readers follow the change in focus. Overall, the ideas are arranged coherently, but some linking is mechanical or unclear. The opening sentence is incomplete, and “In this case” does not clearly show how the preceding point leads to the next one. The final paragraph repeats the opinion without adding a clear synthesis. Use complete topic sentences, make references explicit, and connect examples directly to the claim they support; this would make progression smoother and cohesion less formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “technological shifts,” “qualification,” “criteria,” and “stability,” which helps convey the main ideas. There are also some noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems that make parts less natural or occasionally harder to interpret. For instance, “academic knowledge put less importance for prospering in life” does not express the intended relationship clearly, while “a quantity of time” and “a best result” are awkward combinations. Spelling errors such as “individulas,” “adaptibility,” and “explanataion” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully; this will make your vocabulary more effective without needing unnecessarily complex terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause in “because they need to develop their skills” and a conditional structure beginning “when put an advertisement.” However, control is uneven, and faulty sentence construction sometimes makes meaning difficult to follow. The opening, “It is believed … that focusing on other learning materials alongside with their academic learning,” is a fragment because it lacks a complete main clause. Other examples include “both view will be discussed,” “academic knowledge put less importance,” and “people … undergone through a immense pressure,” which show problems with agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence patterns. Practise building complete clauses first, then check subject–verb agreement and verb forms in longer sentences.

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