Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-20

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)

In the present era, majority of the research about medical related fields are sponsored by private firms. However, it is crucial and necessary to spread this research for prevention of many diseases. I believe, medical research should be primarily funded and controlled by government because it ensures that research is conducted for public welfare rather than for profit.

Government research gains the interest of people. It means that government sector provides cheap price and even sometimes free checkups for needy people. There are a lot of hospitals, labs which makes less profit and offers many free treatments. If federal state doing investment in medical research projects it will be profitable. Because people are having trust and faith that government provide good things and less expensive what is affordable for every class. For instance, Covid-19 was very detrimental disease and majority of people were affected with it. Due to vaccination which was the government projects individuals survived and every person able to affored it.

Furthermore, research sponsored by private companies are not impressive because they only want profit-driven . They do research just to promote their product only for profit. Additionally, they can make fake results to sell their medicines maybe they are not beneficial for human health. Government research is better because government does not want money and it is good for people. For example, a pharmaceutical company may suppress negative results about a new drug. Conversely, studies financed by the state are more impartial and credible, since the public sector prioritizes public welfare over commercial gain.

In conclusion, although private companies can offer financial support, I firmly believe that medical research should be primarily funded and controlled by the government. This approach ensures that research is ethical, unbiased, and aimed at improving public health rather than generating profit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on who should fund medical research, arguing primarily for government intervention. The ideas are generally relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of Covid-19 and pharmaceutical companies. However, some arguments lack full extension and tend to over-generalise or remain slightly repetitive, particularly when contrasting government benevolence with private greed. Phrases like 'Government research is better because government does not want money and it is good for people' offer limited development for an academic essay. Despite these limitations, the central position is well maintained throughout the response, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as public trust and the profit motives of private firms. Cohesive devices are employed, including transition words like 'Furthermore', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in abrupt shifts between ideas and some awkward phrasings like 'If federal state doing investment in medical research projects it will be profitable.' Progression is generally clear, but the logical links between sentences occasionally stumble, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'impartial', 'credible', 'pharmaceutical company', and 'public welfare'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form throughout the text. Examples include 'majority of the research about medical related fields' instead of 'medical-related fields', 'federal state doing investment' instead of 'making an investment', and 'detrimental disease' rather than 'devastating disease'. Furthermore, the phrase 'profit-driven' is used incorrectly as a noun phrase ('they only want profit-driven'). These lexical errors do not impede overall communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition with subordinate clauses and conditional structures, such as 'If federal state doing investment... it will be profitable.' However, grammatical control is inconsistent, and there are frequent errors in verb tense, article usage, and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'majority of the research... are', 'every person able to affored it', 'research sponsored by private companies are not impressive'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but structural flaws and awkward phrasing surface regularly. Because these errors rarely impede the reader's understanding but restrict the range of error-free complex structures, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.

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