Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-17
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some say that the most important thing about being rich is that one has the opportunity to help others. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Student answer (Band 5.5)
It is often argued that the most important benefit of being wealthy is that you have the oppurtunity to help others. I disagree with this statement as there are several other important things than helping others, such as helping their family and fulfilling their interests and needs.
The first thing is if you are rich, you can help your family by managing their needs such as building a house, handling emergency financial situations and funding your siblings education. As a result, there will be less financial burden on your family. For example, if your sibling is interested in studying abroad, you can sponsor their education which will make your parents life simpler and also helps you sibling achieve their goals.
The second thing is, you can spend that money on your own interests such as travelling and business.You will also have the freedom to make choices of your own. For instance, if you are fond of travelling, you can use that money to travel across countries and fulfill your dreams. You can also invest money in business of your interest, which will help you make more money, if that business goes well. As a result, without depending on anyone you will be able to achieve your goals.
In conclusion, although wealthy people have the opportunity to help others, I believe that this is not the most important aspect of being rich, as financial security and the freedom to achieve personal goals are equally important.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position of disagreement and providing reasons to support it, such as helping family and fulfilling personal goals. However, the response has a noticeable negative impact on Task Achievement due to the length check: the student's response contains 244 words, which is short of the 250-word minimum requirement. Furthermore, while the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat restricted and could be extended further. For instance, the discussion on funding a sibling's education is a good point, but the overall development remains basic. Therefore, it meets the criteria for Band 5.5, balancing the clear position with the under-length penalty and limited idea development.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text is generally coherent and arranged with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different ideas, such as family support and personal interests. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'The first thing is', 'The second thing is', and 'For example', though these transitions are somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Referencing is mostly clear, for example when using 'that money' to refer back to wealth. Progression is visible, but the overall organizational framework feels somewhat formulaic. This aligns well with the descriptors for Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'financial burden', 'sponsor', 'freedom', and 'financial security'. However, there are some spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'oppurtunity' instead of 'opportunity', 'helps you sibling' instead of 'help your sibling', and 'invest money in business' missing an article. Less common vocabulary is attempted with limited success and some inaccuracy. The range is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, but these lexical flaws keep the score at Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if your sibling is interested in studying abroad, you can sponsor their education'). There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including missing commas, agreement errors ('managing their needs... and funding your siblings education' where 'siblings' lacks an apostrophe), and minor run-on issues like missing spaces after periods (e.g., 'and business.You will'). However, these errors rarely impede communication. The control of grammar is adequate for a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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