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 a great deal of research are conducted by private companies which generally be consider beneficial while not ignoring 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 research outcome. Private companies sometimes dictate the overall research project. On the other hand, individuals are more competent to perform better in this field because they are not liable to find out any bias research result.
Government should also regulate research projects that are carried out by private sector in order to keep the authenticity of the projects. Moreover, also provide funds to individual researchers to maintain the balance in this sector. Besides this, government should also launch public private partnership based research facilities to reduce the influence of the private companies on this particular sector.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the roles of private companies, government, and individuals. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the claim that private companies are 'always in competition' is asserted but not fully explored with specific examples. The conclusion is brief and lacks a summary of the main points. Because the word count requirement was not met, the development of ideas is constrained, preventing a higher score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the benefits of private funding to the counter-arguments regarding fairness and the role of government. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'Moreover', 'However', 'On the other hand'). Some transitions between sentences feel abrupt, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun 'Its' at the start of the second paragraph, which lacks a clear antecedent. Overall, the paragraphing is functional but lacks sophisticated flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'lesser the burden' (should be 'lessen') and 'bias research result' (should be 'biased'). The range of vocabulary is limited, relying on basic terms like 'good', 'better', and 'issues'. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to research and funding, such as 'commercialization', 'ethical oversight', or 'public-private synergy'.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('a great deal of research are conducted'), incorrect verb forms ('generally be consider'), and sentence fragments ('Which results in...'). While there is an attempt to use complex structures, these are often marred by errors in punctuation and syntax. The control over basic grammar is inconsistent, and the sentence structures remain relatively simple. More attention to proofreading for basic agreement and tense consistency is required.
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.