Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-29

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)

Whilst some university students are interested in studying other courses along with their major courses, others believe it is more essential to give all their effort for a qualification. Although study more subjects broden students knowledge, I assume it hiders them to obtain deeper knowledge in one discipline.

On one hand, there are several reasons why students want to learn other subjects in addition to their main subjects. One probable reason is that thy can be familiar with different topics. If they just focus main subject, they couldn't able to learn various aspects. In fact, they may have limited knowledge which suffer them a lot. Therefore, students have a tendency to study other disciplines. Since this tedency opes a scope to learn many topic, they can enrich themselves in that fields. Sometimes it become essential that someone has to know about other subjects. For instance, if an engineering student don't have knowledge about the effect of a bridge in local people, it may cause serious damage to the people. Even environment can be hampered due to his lack to knowledge.

However, focusing on other courses arise some problems. Human brain cannot concentrate on many topics simultaneously. There are exceptional people, but in general it is often seen that students cannot give attention on more than one subject. Neverthles, if they try to do this, they may lose concentration on all subjects. That's why, they may unable to do well even in their major fields. Instead, if they focus only main subjects, they might able to strengthen their position in these subjects.

In conclusion, while studying many courses broden knowledge, they should focus on just their major courses to obtain deeper knowledge in one discipline.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and give a clear preference for concentrating on a major subject, especially in the introduction and conclusion. The engineering example also helps explain why knowledge beyond a specialism can matter. However, the discussion is uneven: the benefits of studying other subjects receive more explanation, while the case for focusing on a qualification is mainly asserted through the claim that the brain cannot handle many topics. This is a broad generalisation and needs a more specific reason or example, such as how focused study supports professional expertise or qualification requirements. The position is understandable, but its reasoning and support are not developed consistently across both sides.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On one hand,” “However,” and “In conclusion” make the direction easy to follow. Within paragraphs, ideas generally progress from a claim to an explanation or example. Some links are mechanical or unclear, though. For example, “Since this tendency opens a scope…” does not connect smoothly to the preceding point, and “Even environment can be hampered…” is not clearly tied to the bridge example. Use more precise referencing and make each sentence’s relationship to the previous one explicit. This would make the progression smoother without changing the effective basic structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “qualification,” “discipline,” “concentration,” and “enrich,” and you attempt to express more specific ideas through the engineering example. However, inaccurate word choice, collocation, and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning less clear. Examples include “broden” for “broaden,” “hiders” for “hinders,” “give all their effort for a qualification,” and “opens a scope.” Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “the effect of a bridge in local people.” Aim for natural academic collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully. More precise vocabulary would help communicate your ideas clearly while retaining the range you are already attempting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional example beginning “If an engineering student…” and a concessive opening with “Although.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence construction and grammatical forms recur. For instance, “If they just focus main subject” needs an article and a preposition, while “they may unable to do well” is missing “be.” There are also agreement and verb-form problems in “an engineering student don’t have” and “focusing on other courses arise.” Some sentences combine clauses awkwardly, as in “Although study more subjects…”. Practise building accurate complex sentences and checking articles, agreement, and verb patterns; this will make your varied structures more reliable.

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