Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-16

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 want to learn some additional subjects along with their main sunjects because they think this will provide them a better opportunity to learn about differnet kind of things which are not related to thier field. While other argue that the students should give all their attention to thier filed of qualification because this can help them to be more focused towards thier goal. I believe they must be focused on their field of qualification.

When students tend to learn about other subjects in addition to thier main subjects, this can provide them better understanding of other fields as well. Because this can provide them a better approach to a topic. But along with this, this can be very harmful practice for thier overall progress in thier subjects. For example if a student is studying arts subjects and he tends to learn about science then this will definately takes much of his time and focus. Doing this he will easily get distract and will not be able to pay more attention towards his main sunjects and eventually will not be able to get his goals.

In contrast when a student is more focused towards his main subjects then he will definately be able to achieve his goal. I believe this practice provide the student with better understanding of main subjects instead of being distracted by different other subjects. For example I am a science student and i always tend to focus on my main subjects. This helps me in better understanding of concepts and overall growth towards my career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear opinion—that students should concentrate on their qualification—and give relevant reasons, including the risk of distraction and your own experience as a science student. However, the discussion of the opposing view is brief: you mention gaining knowledge of other fields but do not explain in detail how this could benefit students, such as by developing transferable skills. Your supporting examples are also quite general, and the conclusion does not separately summarise the two views. The response therefore addresses the main parts of the task, but the ideas remain limited and under-developed. To strengthen it, explain both perspectives more fully and support each with a specific, relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about studying additional subjects, and a paragraph supporting concentration on a qualification. Linking expressions such as “While” and “In contrast” help signal the change in viewpoint. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear or repetitive. For example, the first body paragraph repeats the idea that studying another field takes time and distracts students, while “Because this can provide them a better approach to a topic” is not clearly connected to the preceding sentence. The essay also ends without a distinct concluding paragraph. Organise each paragraph around one main point, use clearer references, and add a brief conclusion to make the overall progression more complete.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the central ideas, including “qualification,” “focused,” “understanding,” and “career.” However, the range is limited, and several words or phrases are repeated, particularly “main subjects,” “better,” and “focus.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “a better approach to a topic” and “overall growth towards my career,” which make parts of the argument less clear. Spelling errors are also noticeable, including “sunjects,” “differnet,” and “thier.” Build a wider set of accurate expressions for discussing academic benefits and drawbacks, and proofread spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “because” and “when,” but control is inconsistent. Several sentence structures are faulty: “Because this can provide them a better approach to a topic” is a fragment, and “this will definately takes much of his time” has an incorrect verb form. There are also recurring errors with agreement and sentence construction, as in “While other argue,” and the long opening sentence is difficult to follow because its clauses are not joined accurately. These errors sometimes make the reader pause, although the main message is generally understandable. Practise forming complete sentences, checking subject–verb agreement and verb forms, and punctuating longer sentences clearly.

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