Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-03

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Nowadays, many medical research projects are funded by private companies. In your opinion, do you think that research should be carried by private companies, individuals or government?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

As far as this topic is concerned, i agree that nowadays many researches are conducted by private companies which is usually a good thing but we should not ignore the role of government and individuals in this particular sector.

Private companies invest their funds in research projects in order to get financial benefits. Which results in lesser the burden on government financially and allows government to focus on other issues. Private companies are always in competition with their rival companies in research field to obtain the desired research results more efficiently. Its helps in a better outcome which eventually beneficial for overall society.

However, some people argue that government and individuals researchers should take up this initiative in order to keep the fairness in the researches outcomes. Private companies sometimes dictate the overall research project. On the other hand, individuals are more competent to perform better in this field as they can extract results unbiased.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 155 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, as the arguments remain superficial and lack the necessary depth and supporting examples required for a Task 2 essay. While you have addressed the prompt by discussing private companies, government, and individuals, the under-length nature of the response means that the task is only partially addressed. To improve, you must expand on your arguments with specific examples and ensure you reach the word count to allow for a fully developed discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three short paragraphs, which provides a basic structure. There is some attempt at logical progression, using transition words like 'However' and 'On the other hand'. However, the cohesion is somewhat mechanical, and the limited length prevents the development of a more sophisticated flow of ideas. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall structure feels incomplete due to the lack of a proper introduction and a concluding summary, which are essential for a coherent academic essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision expected at higher bands. You use some relevant terms like 'financial benefits' and 'research projects', but the language is repetitive and lacks variety. There are minor issues with word choice, such as 'lesser the burden' (should be 'lessen the burden') and 'fairness in the researches outcomes' (should be 'fairness in research outcomes'). To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to the topic of medical research and funding.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'i agree' (should be capitalized), 'many researches' (research is an uncountable noun), and 'Its helps' (should be 'It helps'). These errors do not necessarily impede communication, but they are frequent enough to affect the overall fluency. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate better control over subject-verb agreement, article usage, and sentence construction.

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.