Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-21

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 5.0)

The advancement of modern era will lead a way away from the culture. This is a debate alot of people do nowadays.

It is a universal truth that moderanization is making lives easier. Nowadays everything is just a click away, Just one google search and you will find multiple answers and opinions. In past individuals depend on newspapers, radios and books to learn and gain knowledge. Things happening on the other side of world will reach you days later but now you will get updates online in seconds without paying for newspapers. Kids used to save money just to buy their favourite books which are now easily accessible online without costing a penny. You can access multiple research articles, blogs and books without spending your money. However, the excess of everything is bad. Books used to be the part of of culture now people aree slowly giving up their cultural values. Even tho every resource is available online people still need to read books to find the individuality.

In my opinion using modren technology to gain access to knowledge is totally right. However to keep libraries people should read books. To keep in touch with human culture it is necessary to not abandon it completely.

Overall, it is important for humans to keep in touch with knowledge and gain it no matter what the source is. Kids should specially be advised to consult books as the excessive screen times by using digital devices can be harmful for eyes. As it is said, a book is man's bestfriend so do not abandon the culture in the race of digitalization.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt regarding whether free online reading materials will replace printed newspapers and books completely. The writer takes a clear position, stating that while digital access is extremely useful, physical books and cultural traditions should be maintained. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For example, sentences like 'You can access multiple research articles, blogs and books without spending your money' echo points made earlier in the paragraph without extending the argument further. The discussion touches upon convenience, culture, and health concerns like screen time, but lacks deep elaboration on economic or publishing impacts. This places the response comfortably at Band 6, as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant ideas, though some are under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response shows a coherent overall arrangement, but paragraphing and cohesion require improvement. The main body of the essay is compressed into one massive block of text, which makes the progression of ideas difficult to follow. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'However' and 'Even tho', but referencing is occasionally faulty, and transitions between points feel abrupt—for instance, jumping from cultural values to screen time in the conclusion. Paragraphing is not used sufficiently and appropriately to separate distinct arguments, such as the economic benefits of online reading versus the cultural arguments for keeping physical books. These features align closely with the Band 5 descriptor, where some organisation is present, but overall progression lacks clear structural signposting.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'advancement', 'universal truth', 'modernization', and 'digitalization'. However, there are notable spelling errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'alot' (a lot), 'moderanization' (modernization), 'depend' instead of 'depended', and 'excess of everything is bad' instead of 'excessive use'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, but these inaccuracies and spelling mistakes prevent the score from reaching a higher band. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of lexical errors places this performance at a Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, featuring structures like 'It is a universal truth that...' and 'Even tho every resource is available online...'. However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in verb tenses, articles, and punctuation. Examples include 'In past individuals depend on...' (should be 'In the past, individuals depended on...'), 'reach you days later but now you will get' (tense inconsistency), and missing commas in conditional or introductory clauses. Punctuation errors are also apparent, such as 'bestfriend so do not'. Although the meaning remains understandable, the high density of structural inaccuracies means the performance fits the Band 5 criteria, where frequent errors persist and attempts at complex sentences often contain faults.

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

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