Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18
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)
Becoming rich is one of the most common aspirations among youngsters of every generation throughout the world, the following paraghraph discusses how it provides opportunities to help those in need.
" Money can't buy happiness ” is what we have heard all our lifes, yet when it comes to helping others, money is the easiest way to show up for those in need. Whether that be to provide healthcare or simply arrange basic human nessecities like food, clothing, shelter, money becomes the biggest asset. You could have the most purest intentions yet until you show up with practical solutions your circumstances won't magically change. This is where money comes into play, this is the opportunity that being rich solves.
For times when we physically cannot be present, sending money via online transfers, donating money to far off lands are all the opportunities one has inorder to help those who they might have never even met. For example during time of natural calamities, more recently like the Nepal floods, donation drives have facilities where they go and arrange food, provide safe transport, conduct search & rescue operations via the money you donate, so that you, sitting at the comfort of your home, can still make a difference with just your intent & your ability of using an opportunity to help.
Therefore, being rich has and will always be a great source of giving a helping hand for those in need. It will create a much larger potential of people receiving care in numbers & bridge the gap of communication between living beings around the world.
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 discussing whether the primary value of wealth is the opportunity to help others, taking a largely supportive stance. The position is clear throughout the essay, with ideas extended and supported by examples such as natural calamity relief and providing basic necessities. However, the development tends to focus heavily on how money helps others rather than deeply debating whether this is the 'most important thing' about being rich, leaving alternative perspectives largely unexplored. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the discussion is somewhat narrow in scope, fitting the Band 6 descriptor where relevant ideas are presented but may lack comprehensive development.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introducing the topic to providing concrete examples of disaster relief and concluding. Paragraphing is utilised, although the introduction is quite brief and blends directly into a quote-style opening sentence. Cohesive devices such as 'whether that be', 'this is where', and 'therefore' are employed, but referencing and transitions can occasionally feel a bit mechanical, such as the run-on clause in 'this is where money comes into play, this is the opportunity that being rich solves'. Overall, the logical structure is clear and easy to follow, aligning well with the requirements for a Band 6 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully incorporating thematic terms such as 'aspirations', 'natural calamities', 'rescue operations', and 'donations'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, such as 'paraghraph' instead of paragraph, 'lifes' instead of lives, 'nessecities' instead of necessities, and 'purest' in 'most purest' which contains a double superlative error. Furthermore, phrases like 'far off lands' and 'sitting at the comfort' reflect minor collocation inaccuracies. While these issues do not impede overall communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety through conditional and participial phrases, such as 'Whether that be to provide healthcare... money becomes the biggest asset.' However, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses throughout the text, including comma splices and incorrect preposition use, such as 'during time of natural calamities' and 'ability of using'. Sentences like 'For times when we physically cannot be present, sending money via online transfers, donating money to far off lands are all the opportunities...' suffer from subject-verb agreement issues. These errors occur regularly but rarely impede the reader's overall understanding, placing the writing firmly in the Band 6 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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