Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-11
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)
As the essay demonstrates that in the future nobody will buy printed newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying, which clearly shows that people will be more addicted to screen time rather than reading.
In my opinion i disagree with this statement because i think this development has a negative impact on people life since they will spend more screen time instead of reading which will cause an adverse effect on their eyes as well. For example for elderly people who have more screen time will have an adverse effect on their eyes and it will also cause noise pollution for them, which will later cause an headache.
I believe that reading is better than screen time because it makes people feel relaxed and this improve their reading and learning too. For example you can take newspaper anywhere with you like you can also read newspaper in park, in picnic, while with friends so it’s better to have a fresh air too while reading which will relax your nervous system. Conversely TV you only have to watch it at home.
Reading have a positive impact on people life it bolster their confidence and language barrier, specially for someone who wants to learn English he must read English newspaper which will yields in better english.
Overall this is not a positive development because if can cause many health problems too and people stay more at home as a result they will feel mentally disturbed after some time because of lack of fresh air.
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 against the statement. However, the development of ideas is limited and somewhat repetitive. The argument focuses heavily on the health impacts of screen time (eye strain, headaches) rather than addressing the core of the prompt: the economic and practical shift from print to digital media. The points regarding 'noise pollution' and 'mental disturbance' are not clearly linked to the topic of reading habits. To improve, you should provide more balanced arguments regarding the accessibility, cost, and convenience of digital versus physical media, rather than focusing exclusively on health concerns.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow between sentences is often disjointed. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'In my opinion', 'For example', 'Conversely'), they are sometimes used incorrectly or in a mechanical fashion. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt, and the concluding paragraph introduces new ideas (mental health) that were not fully explored in the body. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the progression of your argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There is significant repetition of basic phrases such as 'adverse effect', 'screen time', and 'people life'. Some word choices are inaccurate, such as 'language barrier' when referring to language acquisition, and 'yields in' which is grammatically incorrect. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated collocations and avoid repeating the same vocabulary throughout the essay.
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. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'reading have', 'it improve'), missing articles, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'for elderly people who have more screen time will have'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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