Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-25

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)

In today's world, there is rapid growth in technology and artificial intelligence, which is the common factor driving the replacement of everything. Also, one major change is that people are replacing printed newspapers and books with digital versions. There are so many people who find it a very handy and easy way to read the newspaper online. On the other hand, there are so many people who feel like they should do justice to the hard work of the people who really work hard for to get the news.

Firstly, many people believe that reading the newspaper online is the cheapest and easiest way to stay updated on the world. It is also considered time-saving.

On the other hand, many people believe that newspapers and books should not be easily available online without paying, as it would not be fair to the writer and publisher.

Whatever is discussed, I personally believe that newspapers and printed books should not be easily accessible on the internet without paying.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The student attempts to address the prompt by discussing whether future online reading should be free or paid, touching upon the perspective of writers and publishers. However, the response falls severely short of the minimum length requirement, containing only 166 words instead of the required 250. This under-length severely limits the development of ideas, leaving arguments underdeveloped and generic, such as stating 'many people believe that reading the newspaper online is the cheapest and easiest way' without elaboration. While a clear personal position is stated, the lack of breadth and depth due to word count constraints prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text demonstrates a basic organizational structure with an introductory paragraph, brief body points, and a conclusion. However, paragraphs are extremely short and underdeveloped, consisting of single sentences in some instances (e.g., 'Firstly...'). Cohesive devices are used repetitively, particularly phrases like 'many people believe' and 'on the other hand'. While the overall direction of the text can be followed, the lack of substantive content restricts proper paragraphing and logical progression between ideas. Progression is disjointed due to the fragmentation of the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive throughout the essay. The student frequently recycles common words and phrases, such as 'many people believe', 'very handy and easy', and 'work hard for to get'. There are limited attempts at less common lexical items, with phrasing tending towards conversational and simplistic styles rather than academic appropriateness. Word choice and collocation errors are noticeable, such as 'work hard for to get the news', which reduces precision and reflects a restricted lexical range adequate only for basic communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple and repetitive complex-sentence attempts. There are noticeable grammatical errors, such as 'who really work hard for to get the news', which contains a redundant preposition and infinitive error. Punctuation is generally basic, and sentence structures lack the variety expected in an academic essay. While some sentences are accurate, frequent minor errors and the lack of complex structural variety restrict the grammatical grade to this level.

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