Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-20
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 today's globalized word, technology has revolutionized which provides facilities to get the information about anything online by just searching about that topic on social media. It is argued that in future no one will purchase newspapers or books since they have the choice to search anything from internet. I strongly believe that social media has great impact on society and some how it is diminishing the purchase of printed books and newspapers. Nevertheless, it will be wrong to say that the online books and newspapers will cease to buy printed books completely.
On the one hand, some proponents claim that due to modern technologies the handout books and newspapers are not preferred to buy. As the individuals can easily download the pdfs of books from internet. It seems beneficial for them. Firstly, the information they get from social media is updated and secondly it is cost-effective, people don't have to pay money to get news from social media. For instance, when students require any reference book, they just download that book from google. It saves a lot of money and also saves long commutes towards the shops to buy books.
Despite of advantages, there are a few disadvantages of reading books online. Due to the prolong contact with screen during reading books, students feel pain in eyes and upper back which creates health issues. Subsequently, some individuals still choose hard books to read. Particularly, the medical students found it the more suitable way to study. For instance, commonly well educated parents advise their adolescents to read books in hard copy as they are concern about their child's heath.
In conclusion, it is acceptable that the online platforms have reduced the purchase of books and newspapers in hard copies, but it is still pivotal for the society. So, it will be wrong to say that the purchase of printed books and newspapers will cease in future. Definitely, some individuals will buy printed books and newspapers to avoid health issues and get information from those handouts.
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 all parts of the task and presents a clear, consistent position throughout. The writer argues that while digital media reduces the consumption of printed materials, it will not completely eradicate them due to health concerns and personal preferences. Ideas are generally extended and supported, such as when the author discusses the cost-effectiveness of online books and cites medical students preferring physical textbooks. However, the development is sometimes slightly repetitive, relying on broad generalisations about 'social media' when the prompt discusses reading online materials. Despite minor limitations in depth, the main requirements of the task are well-satisfied, aligning with Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6 descriptor set, though given the clear position and adequate coverage of both sides, it comfortably fits a Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, demonstrating an overall logical organisation. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'On the one hand', 'Despite of advantages', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, 'Despite of advantages' contains a grammatical error in collocation, and transitions between sentences can feel abrupt. Paragraphing is used adequately, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the arguments supporting digital reading to the counter-arguments regarding health issues, but the control of cohesive ties remains basic.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'revolutionized', 'cost-effective', and 'pivotal'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and spelling. For example, 'globalized word' contains a spelling error for 'world', 'handout books' is an unnatural collocation for physical or printed books, and 'prolong contact' should be 'prolonged contact'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6, as the vocabulary lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional-style reasoning (e.g., 'As the individuals can easily download...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors in punctuation, article usage, and prepositions. Examples include 'search anything from internet' (missing article), 'the medical students found it the more suitable way' (incorrect comparative form), and 'they are concern about' (incorrect verb form for 'concerned'). Punctuation and minor syntactic slips appear throughout. Although communication is rarely impeded, the density of errors prevents the grammar from achieving a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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