Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-11
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In the future nobody will buy printed newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Student answer (Band 5.5)
In the near future the amount of people using printed newspaper or books because of the availability of online books and newspaper for free. In my perspective this narration is true. Online books and newspaper are somewhat free of cost at present time let alone future. We at this time can find various newspaper on social media. Some small newspaper are yet to make their online version. However big newspapers are almost on every social media platform. This is a very pleasant step for government to take. The people who are unable to read physical newspaper due to financial inability, lack of time and other issues, online newspapers are great choice for them. Same goes for online books. those are convenient for busy people. Almost every person nowadays has internet connection on their smart phones. Using those smart phones make the reading easier, affordable and causes almost no hassle.
However everything has it's dark side. Looking at the screen for a very long time affects the eyes, can cause cervical pain and so on. Other than these health effects some newspaper shares half of the story and worse sometimes false stories. There is no actual test to prove the authenticity of those stories. specially the newspapers those are not very popular.
Nevertheless people want comfort and hassle free life more than proving or seeking authenticity of news. Consequently they will choose to the online versions of everything whether a book or newspaper since that is what makes life easier and comfortable.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that printed media will be replaced by free online versions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the convenience and health drawbacks, the argument lacks depth regarding the 'free' aspect of the prompt, which is a central point of the task. The essay tends to over-generalize, for example, by stating that 'everything' will be online without considering the cultural or educational value of physical books. To improve, ensure each paragraph provides more detailed reasoning and specific examples to support your claims.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Nevertheless', and 'Consequently' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the opening sentence which is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. The transition between the benefits of online media and the health drawbacks is abrupt. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each sentence flows naturally into the next will help achieve a higher band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on simple phrases like 'pleasant step' and 'dark side'. There are also some issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'amount of people' (should be 'number of people') and 'shares half of the story' (should be 'presents only part of the story'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to technology and media, and pay closer attention to collocations to ensure your writing sounds more natural.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For instance, the first sentence is grammatically incomplete. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'some newspaper shares' (should be 'newspapers share') and 'those are convenient' (should be 'these are'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of apostrophes (e.g., 'it's' used for possessive 'its'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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