Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-22
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 current era many people think that few people buy printed newspapers or books since they will be able to read everything on the internet without paying any charges. I partially agree with this viewpoint because nowadays individuals are interested sifting through on digital media and ebooks where can read newspapers or books on the internet.
On the one hand, numerous individuals believe that the internet provides quick news compared to newspapers. This is because whenever an accident occurs online media immediately uploads news on their website. As a result, this is a time-saving method and people do not need to wait for physical newspapers. Furthermore, digital news and books are a flexible way because people can easily read news on the internet at any time. To illustrate, if people travel abroad and they want to read a newspaper, but unfortunately they do not have one, in such cases they can read news on social media. As a consequence, they do not need to carry books and newspapers from their home.
On the other hand, individuals will only read news on the internet. Many newspaper companies will close, because newspaper companies face significant losses. Consequently, numerous people will become unemployed. However, digital editions sometimes provide wrong information. For instance, many people sometimes trust fake news. For that reason, they face problems in their life because do not know the right information about daily news.
To conclude, the internet is the fastest way to gain knowledge and people can easily read news on their smartphones without buying books and newspapers. However, this method will create several challenges for newspaper companies and book publishers.
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. You maintain a clear position throughout, acknowledging both the convenience of digital platforms and the risks of misinformation and economic impact. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding the 'wrong information' on the internet is a good point but lacks depth; you could have expanded on how this affects society's critical thinking or the credibility of traditional journalism. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with more specific examples or logical consequences.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' to transition between ideas. However, the flow within paragraphs is occasionally mechanical, and some sentences feel disjointed. For example, the transition between the benefits of digital news and the economic impact on publishers could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'this' to refer to broad concepts. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring tighter logical connections between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'sifting through', 'digital editions', and 'unemployed'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'interested sifting through on digital media' and 'where can read newspapers'. These errors occasionally make the text feel unnatural. To improve, focus on using collocations more accurately and expanding your range of academic vocabulary. Avoid repetitive phrasing and ensure that your word choices are precise enough to convey your arguments clearly without ambiguity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles, prepositions, and subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'where can read newspapers' should be 'where they can read newspapers', and 'do not know the right information' lacks a subject). These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To achieve a higher score, you should aim for more error-free sentences and work on complex structures like relative clauses and conditional sentences, ensuring they are punctuated correctly.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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