Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-22
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)
After many years from now , not a single person would purchase a hardcopy of a book or a newspapper , since everything would be available in the form of softcopy mostly online at a free of cost. I would strongly disagree with this statement.
well, it mostly depends on the person . Not everyone want to read online because u need not pay for it. somepeople prefer to read newspappers online because it is free of cost and easily accessible . But reading books like novels or academic textbooks online can be very straining to eyes and give you a headache .Not many can sit before their laptops or phones for hours especially the young and ealderly people . so they would mostly prefer books over any softcopy version. when we read a hardcopy we can easily underline what we want to remember add stick notes for easy acess later. Also some readers who are" bookworms" mostly prefer to read a hard copy because they craete a sense of emotional connection with the book . They like to keep a copy of everybook they read. for example , when i was pre[aring for my exam i initially started reading online from a book but later when the exam was near i immediately purchased the same book even though it was expensive because i had a feeling it would be easy and faster to prepare from the printed version.
in my conclusion not evryone would want to read online some prefer the offline printed vers
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position ("I would strongly disagree with this statement") and providing supporting arguments regarding why physical books and newspapers will still be preferred, such as eye strain from digital screens, the utility of taking physical notes, and emotional connections. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive in places. The text also cuts off abruptly at the end ("in my conclusion not evryone would want to read online some prefer the offline printed vers"), which leaves the conclusion incomplete. This impacts the overall fullness of task completion, aligning the response with Band 5.5 to 6.0. Because the word count requirement is met, the score reflects the adequate generation of relevant ideas despite the underdeveloped conclusion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The response shows some organization with an introduction stating the writer's stance, a body paragraph detailing reasons for preferring physical formats, and a failed attempt at a concluding paragraph. However, logical progression is hindered by poor paragraphing, informal transitions ("well, it mostly depends"), and the sudden cut-off at the end. Cohesive devices are minimal and sometimes inaccurate, and referencing is occasionally unclear (e.g., jumping between general readers, young and elderly people, and personal anecdotes). The lack of a properly structured conclusion and mechanical transitions prevent the text from achieving a Band 6.0, making Band 5.0 a more accurate reflection of the current organisational control.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for communicating basic ideas about reading preferences, featuring terms like "hardcopy," "softcopy," "straining to eyes," and "bookworms." However, the range is limited, and there are several noticeable errors in word choice, spelling ("newspapper," "ealderly," "acess," "craete," "pre[aring"), and collocation. Phrasing such as "free of cost" and "give you a headache" is overly colloquial for an academic essay. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the writer's meaning, the frequency of spelling and lexical inaccuracies restricts the score to Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional or concessive clauses ("when we read a hardcopy we can easily underline..."). However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the text. There are numerous errors in punctuation, capitalization, subject-verb agreement (e.g., "Not everyone want to read"), pronoun usage ("u need not"), and missing words or abrupt terminations. Sentences like "Not many can sit before their laptops or phones for hours especially the young and ealderly people . so they would mostly prefer books" demonstrate frequent structural and punctuation errors that cause some difficulty for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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