Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-05
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 4.5)
I partially disagree with this statement because nowadays, a significant number of people travel by road rather than by rail. I believe that the government should spend more money on roads rather than railways. Furthermore, this essay will discuss both perspectives before presenting my own opinion.
To begin with, the government should spend more money on roads rather than railways because many types of transport, such as buses, cars, and motorcycles, use roads. Therefore, investing in roads can be more beneficial for a large number of people. For example, individuals can reach their destinations safely and conveniently.
On the other hand, some money should also be spent on railways because a large number of people can travel by train. Railways are also beneficial for transporting heavy materials. For example, trains can carry large quantities of goods from one city to another efficiently
As far as I am concerned that authorities should spend more money on the roads because in this modern era, a large number of vehicles use roads every day. For example, if the authorities spend more money on roads, there will be a lower risk of accidents on the roads.
In conclusion, I believe that the government should spend an equal amount of money on both railways and roads because they are beneficial for our country and the environment. For example, better roads and railways allow us to transport materials easily between cities and carry heavy goods more efficiently.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 2.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0
The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks about the funding of medical research by private companies, individuals, or the government. However, your essay discusses road versus railway infrastructure. Because you failed to address the task prompt entirely, the response cannot be scored for task achievement in a meaningful way. Additionally, the response is under the 250-word minimum requirement, which further impacts the score. To improve, you must carefully read the prompt and ensure your arguments directly relate to the specific topic provided.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs with basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. While the structure is logical in terms of paragraphing, the content within these paragraphs is irrelevant to the prompt. The progression of ideas is clear, but because the topic is incorrect, the coherence is undermined by the lack of relevance to the task instructions.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is simple and repetitive. You rely on basic phrases like 'spend more money' and 'large number of people' throughout the text. There is little attempt to use academic or topic-specific vocabulary, which is expected for an IELTS Task 2 response. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more precise, varied, and sophisticated vocabulary related to the actual topic of the essay.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The grammar is generally functional, with simple sentence structures used correctly. However, there are errors in sentence construction, such as 'As far as I am concerned that authorities should...', which is grammatically incorrect. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, which limits your ability to demonstrate a wide grammatical range. Focusing on using a variety of subordinate clauses and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve your accuracy and range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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