Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21
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 printed newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying.
I pretty much agree to the extent that less people will buy newspapers and books.
Reasons are very clear in current times, every news, articles, blogs, information, entertainment is available easily online without paying or at a fraction of cost, for example social media and platform media.
In the past news was accessible only through print media or word of mouth, and for entertainment, knowledge and arts, there were books. but in modern day times, news is accessible at hand through social media and the strong part is news does not wait for someone to approve first and publish it and it reaches to the people later 1-2 days, instead social media has made it quite easy to share news online, free and accessible to all right at the time of happening.
Only where i disagree to the statement is that, people will definitely purchase books not for amusement or mere entertainment, but quite instead it would become a luxury to own books of a rationale, like for an example books on life books on nature, philosophy, psychology and business mindset books.
Books in the future will have a bright life and would definitely be not replaced to some extent. And print newspaper does not have place in the future world where technology is advance and real time news transaction happens in very less amount of time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the shift toward online media and the potential survival of physical books. However, the development is uneven. While you clearly state your position, the arguments regarding newspapers are somewhat repetitive, and the distinction between 'books for amusement' and 'books as a luxury' is an interesting point that needed more specific examples or deeper explanation to reach a higher band. The response is just at the minimum word count, which limits the depth of your analysis. To improve, ensure each paragraph provides a clear, well-supported argument rather than listing general observations.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'for example' and 'in the past', but the transitions between sentences are sometimes abrupt. For instance, the jump from discussing news to the 'luxury' of books lacks a smooth linking phrase. Additionally, the paragraphing is inconsistent; the introduction is very brief, and the body paragraphs could be better structured to separate the two main ideas (newspapers vs. books) more distinctly. Improving the use of referencing and logical connectors would enhance the overall flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on common phrases like 'in the future', 'in the past', and 'modern day times'. There are some awkward collocations, such as 'real time news transaction' and 'books of a rationale', which sound unnatural. To improve, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'digital transformation', 'tangible media', or 'intellectual enrichment'. You should also focus on using more sophisticated synonyms to avoid repeating words like 'books' and 'news' frequently.
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 example, 'less people will buy' should be 'fewer people', and 'news does not wait for someone to approve first' is grammatically clunky. There are also issues with punctuation and sentence boundaries, such as the run-on sentence in the second paragraph. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and correct article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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