Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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)

Few university students prefer to study new subjects with their primary field of study, while, on the hand, some believe that it is more necessary to give all their time and focus to studu thier main subjects. Both arguments are valid, but I believe that it is more important to concentrate on thier main field of education to perform excellence and achieve their desirable profession.

The most obvious argument in support of this view is that students can spend their leisure time effectively with their personal interest and passion. University students sometimes get bore and puzzle by continuing schedule studies, so they prefer to learn somthing similar to their personal curiosity and interest field. For example, academic subjects often make students feel unpleasant and tedious, so they prefer to read comics, magazines, geography books that are available in their campus library, which improves their general knowledge and idea generation in their desirable filed. This helps students to develop their mental ability and to maintain mental well being.

On the other hand, some believe that it is imperative to concentrate on one specific field of education. Focuing on their main subjects with less distraction would help students to get higher grades. Another point would be that they can experience in-depth knowledge of particular course of field. For instance, when students focus on particular field of study like engeering or mbbs subjects this would support students to rank higher grades as well as they can comtemplate completely on building professional career.

In conclusion, I would conclude by reiterating that both statement have valid concerns, but focusing on one particular course can give possible benefits to students career.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both positions and state your own view in the introduction: you favour concentrating on the main subject. The paragraph about additional learning gives relevant examples, such as reading comics, magazines and geography books, while the next paragraph explains how specialisation may support grades and career preparation. However, the first view is not fully matched to the question: leisure reading and general-interest books are not necessarily the study of additional academic subjects. The benefits of learning another subject are therefore not clearly explained. Your support for specialisation is also brief, and the conclusion mostly repeats your position rather than drawing the discussion together. Develop the advantages of each option more directly and explain your reasons with clearer, specific examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the broad direction of the argument. Within paragraphs, however, the progression is sometimes loose. In the first body paragraph, the move from students feeling bored to reading comics and then to improved mental ability is not fully explained, and “This” does not identify precisely which activity it refers to. The second body paragraph also combines grades, in-depth knowledge and career development without developing the links between them. Use topic sentences that directly state each view, then connect each example explicitly to its supporting point; vary linking expressions rather than relying mainly on standard transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt vocabulary relevant to education and academic achievement, including “in-depth knowledge,” “distraction,” “professional career” and “mental well being.” These choices show some range beyond basic wording. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause: “studu,” “thier,” “Focuing,” “engeering” and “comtemplate” are examples. Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “perform excellence,” “get bore and puzzle” and “rank higher grades.” Choose collocations carefully and proofread spelling, as these issues limit the precision of your meaning. Aim to use familiar academic phrases accurately—for example, “achieve academic excellence” and “earn higher grades”—before adding more ambitious vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple statements and attempts at longer sentences, including clauses introduced by “so,” “which” and “when.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms recur. For example, “some believe that it is more necessary to give all their time” is awkwardly structured, while “when students focus on particular field” is missing an article. In “this would support students to rank higher grades as well as they can comtemplate,” the coordination between the two ideas is faulty. The conclusion also has an unnecessary repeated frame: “In conclusion, I would conclude.” Practise accurate article use and parallel sentence structures, and check that clauses are joined in a grammatically clear way.

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