Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-03

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 often observed in universities that students want to study other subjects, such as history, economics, fashion, and politics including their main subjects. Some people believe that it is more important for them pay attention to their major subjects. I strongly believe that it would be beneficial for students study other subjects with their own study for a qualification as this can help to incraese their knowledge and useful for their future career.

On the one hand, students require to give their valuable time to their academic subjects because they are important to achieve desired marks. Many students who envolve in other subjects they mostly lose their marks in a real exam, consequently, they experience difficulties for further studies, because many universities require students with good report cards.

Furthermore, studying other subjects involve several measures, such as financial budget, a lot of time, and hardwork, which leads to put an extra burden on both individual and families.

On the other hand, students can get several benefits studying other subjects. Firstly, it can rise their knowledge which leads to boost their independence and confidence level. Secondly, stuyding other subjects can help in their future career. For example, students can analyse their ability and perfection in a specific subjects that could help to choose their professional career. Lastly, there would always be a second option for them in case they could not get succeed, they can consider second option as they already are familiar with that.

In conclusion, although stuyding other subjects including acedemic subjects can result a limited time for their major subjects and financial burden for families, I think students can get numerous advantages if they include additional subjects along with academic study, such as enhance their knowledge, consider them for their future career and improve their self-esteem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state a clear preference for studying additional subjects alongside a qualification. The response gives relevant reasons: focusing on a major may support exam results and further study, while other subjects may broaden knowledge, build confidence, and help with career choices. However, these points are often asserted rather than explained. For instance, the claim that students who take other subjects “mostly lose their marks” is broad and would be stronger with a specific explanation or example. The “second option” point is also unclear about what students might do if they do not succeed. Develop each main reason with a concrete example and explain more precisely how it supports your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, particularly the sequence “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “Lastly,” where the points are listed without being linked or developed. Some connections are also unclear: the sentence about students losing marks does not explain exactly how taking other subjects causes this, and the conclusion’s reference to “including academic subjects” blurs the distinction between the two views. Use clearer links between claims and explanations, and make references such as “that” or “this” point unambiguously to the idea intended.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “qualification,” “financial burden,” “future career,” and “self-esteem.” There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “academic subjects” and “professional career.” However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make the writing less natural. For example, “rise their knowledge” and “boost their independence” do not express the intended ideas idiomatically, while “perfection in a specific subjects” is difficult to interpret. Spelling errors such as “incraese,” “stuyding,” and “acedemic” are noticeable. Build a more precise set of topic phrases and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because,” “which,” and “as,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is not controlled consistently, and errors occur frequently in sentence construction and grammatical forms. Examples include “more important for them pay attention,” “students require to give,” and “students can get several benefits studying other subjects,” where required verb patterns or linking forms are missing. There are also problems with agreement and number, as in “a specific subjects,” and with sentence structure in “which leads to put an extra burden.” Practise accurate verb patterns, articles, and singular/plural agreement, then check each sentence for a complete and correctly linked structure.

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