Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

It is perceived that as humans move towards future the purchase of printed newspapers and books will decrease as everything will be available online free of cost. In my opinion it is true in terms of cost; however, print media alwys remains a better option for certain section of the society.

Overall, as we are moving towards advancement, almost everything is available online. For reading News and books on the internet noone needs to pay except for certain books. This is not only economically efficient but also better for the environment as it reduces deforestation. Environmentalists who are actively working towards paper usage reduction preffer e-books over printed ones. For instance, Audio e- books can be used for educating vision impared students as they can't read though physical books thus e -books and only news will improve their cognitive and vocational education.

However, despite the benefits of online reading material there is a big chunk of society that still has limited access to these resources. Among this category people from tribal areas and economically weaker section heve negligible finacial support to possess these technological tools thus they prefer physical books and newspaper for enhancing their knowledge. For example, economically challenged people can access knowledge and information in public libraries and through newspaper, it can eventually contribute to their education and finanacial growth. Over the years this technology has impoved the financial situation of a large section of population.

In conclusion, the growth of technology at present and in future has its own benefits and drawbacks, it completely depends on the preference of the reader whether they prefer online information or through physical materials.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the trend towards online reading and the enduring appeal of physical books. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. Main ideas are presented, such as the economic efficiency and environmental benefits of digital reading alongside the accessibility issues faced by certain societal groups. However, some arguments lack full extension and suffer from slight logical leaps or over-generalisation, such as the example regarding audio e-books improving vocational education for vision-impaired students without clearly linking it back to the prompt's core premise about paying for content. Despite these minor limitations, the task is addressed adequately and a reasoned viewpoint is sustained, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor criteria for addressing all parts with relevant, if sometimes under-developed, ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate different main ideas, such as the benefits of online reading versus the necessity of physical materials for disadvantaged groups. Cohesive devices are employed, including transitional phrases like 'Overall,' 'However,' and 'In conclusion,' although some referencing and cohesion feel a bit mechanical or abrupt. For instance, the transition into the second paragraph jumps directly into points without a smooth bridge from the introduction. Additionally, there are minor issues with logical progression within paragraphs, such as the abrupt shift between environmentalism and educational tools for vision-impaired students. Overall, the structure meets the requirements for a Band 6 score due to clear overall organisation despite some faulty or mechanical cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'deforestation,' 'cognitive,' 'financially challenged,' and 'accessible.' However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'alwys' instead of 'always,' 'noone,' 'preffer,' 'vision impared' instead of 'vision impaired,' 'heve,' 'finacial,' and 'impoved.' These errors reflect a Band 6 level where vocabulary is adequate for the task and attempts less common words, but spelling inaccuracies and occasional awkward collocations occur. Fortunately, these vocabulary errors do not seriously impede communication as the writer's meaning remains understandable throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several punctuation and grammatical errors, including missing articles ('for reading News and books'), incorrect preposition usage ('information through physical materials'), and run-on sentences lacking appropriate punctuation (e.g., 'In conclusion, the growth of technology at present and in future has its own benefits and drawbacks, it completely depends...'). Furthermore, there are awkward phrasings like 'through newspaper.' Despite these frequent minor errors in grammar and punctuation, they rarely impede communication, and the sentence structures demonstrate a reasonable attempt at complexity, fitting the Band 6 profile for grammatical range and accuracy.

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