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 is often argued that no one will buy printed newspapers or books as they will be able to read anything they want online without investing money. I completely agree with this stance and this essay will discuss why I hold this opinion before reaching a reasonable conclusion.
To begin with, one of the main reason is that there is a small group of people left which use to read a newspaper but in the future the remaining so will also diverted toward the online system. It is because todays generation is so much inclined toward the social media and if they want to read or view any news they can easily watch it on the mobile applications. Like if we discuss about earthquacks, floods or other natural disasters, we can get the news about that in just few minutes rather than waiting for the newspaper. So, i think it is a plus point to watch news online. It is an important aspect of the issue.
Furthermore, another important reason of not using a newsapaper to get news or to pass their free time is that newspaper are an outdated material and it don't fit in this generation. Social media and technology is being develop more and more and in the future it will reach to it's peak. Moreover, they are the fastest way of getting or having any news. Social media is also used as an entertainment purpose and it is the best way of passing our time. Consiquently, this point further supports my overall discussion.
In conclusion, the point discussed above highlight the key aspects of the issue. Overall, i remain agreed that nobody will buy newspaper in the future due to the modern technology.
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 response addresses the prompt by clearly taking a position agreeing with the statement that printed media will be replaced by free online content. The writer attempts to support this position with arguments regarding convenience, speed, and changing generational habits towards social media and mobile applications. However, the development of these ideas is limited and somewhat repetitive, featuring generalisations without fully extending the arguments into deeper sociological or economic impacts. For instance, the mention of natural disasters is used as a brief example of speed, but it lacks broader analytical depth. Furthermore, the prompt's condition regarding content being 'without paying' is only tangentially addressed through the mention of 'investing money' in the introduction, leaving this specific aspect under-developed. These features align the response with a Band 5.5 to 6.0 performance, where relevant ideas are presented but remain partially under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a basic overall organisation with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, which establishes a clear overarching progression. Paragraphing is utilised, though body paragraphs tend to bundle multiple thoughts together rather than developing a single thematic idea per paragraph. Cohesive devices are used, but they are frequently mechanical, repetitive, or inaccurate, such as 'To begin with, one of the main reason', 'Like if we discuss about', and 'Consiquently'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and transitional phrases lack smooth integration. Although the text remains generally coherent and easy to follow, the frequent flaws in cohesive referencing and mechanical linking devices prevent it from reaching a higher band, placing it comfortably at Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The lexical resource used in the response is adequate for basic communication of ideas, but it features significant limitations and inaccuracies. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'diverted toward', 'inclined toward', and 'outdated material', but these are often marred by inappropriate collocations or word choices, such as 'remain agreed' instead of 'remain of the opinion' or 'remain convinced'. There are also recurrent spelling and morphological errors, including 'earthquacks', 'newsapaper', and 'Consiquently'. While the vocabulary allows the writer to convey their basic stance, the frequency of lexical errors and limited control over precise phrasing restrict the score to a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied structures (e.g., conditional-like clauses introduced by 'if'). However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Notable issues include subject-verb agreement errors ('one of the main reason is', 'newspaper are an outdated material', 'it don't fit'), prepositional errors ('diverted toward', 'news about that'), and tense inconsistencies ('use to read'). Punctuation is also problematic, marked by lowercase 'i' pronouns ('i think', 'i remain agreed') and run-on structures. Because errors are frequent and noticeable throughout the text, the response aligns best with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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