Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-26

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 THIS CONTEMPORARY ERA, PEOPLE HAVE PRIVILEGE THAT THEY CAN CONSUME WRITTEN CONTENT THROUGH ONLINE PLATFORMS WITHOUT PAYING ANY PENNIES RATHER THAN PURCHASING PHYSICAL COPIES. I AM COMPLETELY IN FAVOR OF THIS VIEW FOR SEVERAL REASONS NAMELY, EASY PORTABLE, HELPS INTO PROTECTING ENVIRONMENT, AND COST SAVING.

TO COMMENCE WITH, ALMOST ALL THE BOOKS, JOURNAL, NEWS PAPERS WHICH ARE IN PHYSICAL FORM ARE NOW ACCESSIBLE ON INTERNET SO, LOOKING IN HARD COPY IS MIGHT BE UNNECESSARY. MOREOVER, IT PROVIDE VAST AMOUNT OF VERITY TO PICK A TOPIC TO READ AS WELL AS IT ALLOWS TO CARRY ALL OF IT WITHOUT ANY BURDEN OF PHYSICAL BOOKS. FOR EXAMPLE, A PERSON WHO TRAVEL A LOT THEY OFTEN FIND LIMITED LUGGAGE SPACE FOR CARRYING BOOKS WITH THEM WHILE TRAVELING SO, IN THIS SITUATION THEY PREFER DIGITAL FORM OF BOOKS WHICH IS LIGHT WEIGHTED AND NEVER BEEN FORGOTTEN.

FURTHERMORE, DIGITAL VERSION OF BOOKS AND NEWSPAPERS ARE FREELY AVAILABLE WITHOUT ANY COST ALSO, THEY CAN DOWNLOAD IT ON THEY DEVICES SO, INDIVIDUAL HAVE NO WORRY ABOUT FINANCE. ALL THAT THING REQUIRES IS INTERNET AND A DEVICE WHERE THEY CAN READ COMFORTABLY. IN ADDITION TO, IT JUST NOT ONLY DIMINISH PAPER WASTE BUT ALSO HELPS TO REDUCE TREE HARVESTING FOR MAKING PAPER. HENCE, BY USING DIGITAL VERSION OF COPIES OFFER MULTIPLE BENEFITS TOWARD TO NATURE AND HUMAN ACCESS.

IN CONCLUSION, DUE TO THE WIDE RANGE OF OPTION FOR READING NEWSPAPER,JOURNALS AND BOOKS EASY TO ACCESSIBLE ON ONLINE PLATFORMS ALSO, POTENCIAL OF COST SAVING AND PORTABILITY WHILE TRAVELING IS A MAJOR REASON FOR GROWING NUMBER OF READER SWITCHING THEIR PREFERENCE INTO ONLINE MEDIUM.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of the shift to digital media. The main ideas—portability, cost-effectiveness, and environmental benefits—are relevant and logically linked to the topic. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'cost saving' is repeated, and the claim that all online content is free is a significant over-generalization, as many reputable newspapers and academic books require subscriptions. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced arguments, perhaps acknowledging that while some content is free, high-quality journalism often remains behind paywalls, and then explaining why the trend toward digital will persist regardless.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with,' 'Moreover,' and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by mechanical phrasing and awkward transitions, such as 'In addition to, it just not only diminish.' The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the internal structure of sentences occasionally feels disjointed, which makes the progression of ideas feel slightly mechanical rather than fluid. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used with more natural syntax would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation that limit the precision of your arguments. Examples include 'helps into protecting,' 'vast amount of verity' (likely meaning variety), and 'tree harvesting.' Some phrases are also repetitive or non-standard, such as 'without paying any pennies.' While the meaning is clear, the range is limited, and the lack of sophisticated or precise academic vocabulary prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on learning collocations and more formal academic synonyms will help improve your score in this area.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('it provide,' 'individual have'), incorrect article usage, and awkward sentence construction ('looking in hard copy is might be unnecessary'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be distracting. To improve, you should focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with correct grammatical subordination rather than just stringing clauses together with 'so' or 'and.'

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.