Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
It has been observed that, people in future will not buy neither books or newspapers because they will have the facility to read it online rather than purchasing it. I agree the given statement to a large extent. My inclination is elaborated in the paragraph and relevant examples.
The foremost argument to justify my stand is that in the present century people prefer to spend most time on digital technology such s, mobile phones, laptops, computers to know everything that is happening in the world except they will spend their money to buy book or newspaper to engage themselves with the world. Besides this, it is also true that books and newspapers had a great advantage and imporatnce in their time when there was no invention of smart phones, telephones etc. Through these people kept themselves up to date to the world.
Furthermore the other reason to prove my point is that online service had become much popular now a days. People feel this convenient and attractive. For instance, teaching online, online food order, online shopping etc. In addition the fact that previously when there were not these inventions, people came to know about their special interest of either food, brand, travel , job through advertisements in the newspaper and manual method was very tiring at that time however it has become very easy now a days.
On the contrary some people counter claim the mentioned support. The foremost argument they do is to think that there is lack of responsibity in their work by using digital technology. Everyone is wasting their time on it. For example, students making assignments by using artificial intelligence and submitting without proof reading.
To conclude the discussion,despite the fact of reading online rather than buying newspaers or books. I strongly agree with the usage of advanced technology to make my life and work easy.
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 student addresses all parts of the task, presenting a clear position agreeing with the prompt to a large extent. Ideas are introduced regarding the dominance of digital technology and online accessibility, such as in the sentence, 'in the present century people prefer to spend most time on digital technology such s, mobile phones, laptops, computers'. However, some ideas are underdeveloped or lack depth, and there is a slight digression into the counter-argument regarding artificial intelligence and student assignments, which is only loosely connected to the core theme of newspapers and books. Overall, the response meets the requirements for Band 6 because it covers all parts of the task with a recognisable position, though some arguments remain somewhat limited and require further extension to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, and paragraphs are used to separate different points. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, transitional phrases like 'Besides this, it is also true that...' and 'Furthermore the other reason to prove my point is that...' feel slightly unnatural and repetitive. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the opening sentence, 'people in future will not buy neither books or newspapers because they will have the facility to read it online', where pronoun reference ('it') lacks a clear singular antecedent. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion within paragraphs could be significantly smoother to achieve a higher band score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their main ideas about digital technology and online reading. The student attempts some less common vocabulary items, such as 'inclination', 'imporatnce', and 'convenient and attractive', but these attempts are accompanied by noticeable errors in spelling, word formation, and collocation (e.g., 'buy neither books or newspapers', 'spend their money to buy book or newspaper', and 'online food order'). Furthermore, there are awkward phrasings like 'manual method was very tiring at that time'. These lexical inaccuracies and occasional spelling mistakes place the response firmly in the Band 5 category, as they reflect a limited yet minimally adequate range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ability to construct multi-clause sentences, such as in 'It has been observed that, people in future will not buy neither books or newspapers because they will have the facility to read it online'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, featuring frequent errors in punctuation, articles, prepositions, and correlative conjunctions (e.g., 'not buy neither', 'spend most time', 'online service had become much popular now a days', and comma splices or unnecessary commas like 'observed that, people'). While these errors rarely impede communication entirely, they are persistent throughout the response, preventing the grammar from reaching the Band 6 descriptor where error-free sentences are more common.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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