Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-18
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 future nobody will buy newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying. Newspaper is the mean of information for the people. If any thing happen in a country, it will be printed in the newspaper next day. People read newspaper for different purposes. Some people read newspaper for job opportunities, some read for government announcements or some read for other purposes according to their needs. But innovation in the technology sector badly effected the newspapers and books, as source of information. People shifted from printed newspapers to mobile phones or TV channels.
In the future, the printed newspaper might not be given such a value as it was given in the past. People today just open their mobile phones, navigate to social media or Google Chrome and find the relevant information they are looking for. For example, everyday my father used to buy a newspaper and read it, in the past years. By the time he got a smartphone, he not even looked at the newspaper. He just navigate to Google Chrome, add the query for his relevant information and get it in no time. The other reason for which I agree that printed newspapers or books might not be read in future is because people today are in a hurry. The just want information that come in front of them in seconds. People are so diverted that they have taken the electronic media as the primary source of information.
One big disadvantage of people not buying books or newspaper will be lack of intelligence. Our parents or grand parents have much more intelligence because they buy books, they read them. They concentrated and yet developed a good memory. In future, when people only restrict themselves to specific information and get it without any struggle they will not give importance to it and hence they might not develop a good intelligence.
In my opinion, getting details for a specific purpose online is beneficial but in the long race, we all need books and newspapers. A person who read more books or newspapers is far much better than a person who read everything online.
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 the shift toward digital media and the potential decline of printed materials. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While you provide reasons for the decline of print, the argument regarding 'intelligence' is a bit simplistic and lacks depth. You clearly state your position, but the discussion could be more balanced by acknowledging the counter-argument (that some people still prefer physical books) more explicitly. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph focuses on a distinct, well-supported idea that directly relates to the prompt's claim about 'not paying' for online content, which you largely overlooked.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'For example' and 'In my opinion,' to guide the reader. However, the use of linking words is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'it' in 'they will not give importance to it,' where the antecedent is slightly ambiguous. Improving the variety of your cohesive devices would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, but it is somewhat basic and occasionally imprecise. Phrases like 'badly effected' (should be 'affected') and 'in the long race' (should be 'in the long run') indicate issues with collocation and word choice. You rely on common words like 'information' and 'things' frequently. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to digital media, publishing, and cognitive development. While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or precise vocabulary limits your score in this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'everyday my father used to buy... he not even looked'), article usage (e.g., 'Newspaper is the mean of information'), and tense consistency. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing auxiliary verbs and incorrect verb forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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