Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-02

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 tertiary level students want to gain knowledge about other subjects in addition to their main course of subjects, others argue that it has more significance to give their all attention and time to studying for a qualification. This essay will delve into both notion before showing my opinion about these notions.

A minority of pupils wish to study other subjects other than the subjects related to field because they might want to escape from the main subjects, and want to explore other field subjects. There might a possibility that they want to switch their field of study in near future.From my perspective, students ahould have options to take some courses from other field, so that they can decide if they want to still pursue studies in the same field or they want to switch. For instance, many universities allow students to take subjects according to their willingness, and many students take subjects from other fields, and sometimes change their field of study in future doing post graduation in other field of study.

On the other hand, others argue about the importance of their main subjects, and to give their all attention to the maine courses of study.

They believe that the main subjects are the most important, and by giving all their time to those subjects will help them to achieve successful life. They think that students will have plenty of knowledge related to their field, they will have magnanimous use of that knowledge. To illustrate, students are pursuing studies in computer science field, and they have studied all books which are related to their own field, so they will get a nice job because of having plenty of knowledge and will pass the interview.

In conclusion, it implies that pupils should have option to take other field subjects, so that they can decide what they want to do in near future. Do they still want to continue same field or want to switch.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and make your preference clear: you support allowing students to take subjects outside their main field. The examples about changing fields and studying computer science are relevant, so the response addresses the central topic. However, the discussion is uneven: the first view receives more explanation, while the argument for concentrating on a qualification relies mainly on the general claim that it leads to a successful life and a good job. The conclusion repeats your preference but does not weigh the two arguments or explain why your view is stronger. Develop the opposing view with a specific reason or example, then make your final judgement explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the other hand,” “For instance,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the broad direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive: the first paragraph repeats the idea of studying other subjects and switching fields, while the second repeats that main subjects are important and provide knowledge. Some connections are unclear, particularly “they will have magnanimous use of that knowledge.” The conclusion’s final questions also interrupt the flow rather than summarising your reasoning. Organise each body paragraph around one clear claim, explain it, and connect the example directly to that claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to education, including “qualification,” “field of study,” “pursue,” and “post graduation,” and you attempt more formal expressions such as “tertiary level.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “all attention,” “other field subjects,” “nice job,” and “magnanimous use.” “Pupils” is also less suitable than “university students” in this context. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise, even though the overall topic remains understandable. Aim for natural academic collocations and check spelling and word forms, such as “should” and “main.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “so that,” and “which,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited and complex constructions are often faulty. For example, “There might a possibility” is missing a verb, and “by giving all their time to those subjects will help them” has an unclear grammatical subject. There are also errors in articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “many universities allow students …, and many students take subjects …, and sometimes change.” The final questions are fragments rather than a complete concluding sentence. Practise building accurate clauses and checking that each sentence has a clear subject and verb.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.