Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-29
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)
In the future, people will be able to access news and books from various websites free of cost. However, in my opinion, book reading enthusiasts will still pay for hard copies.
Advancements in technology may propose numerous means of reading newspapers and books online in the future. Even, today news channels have their own pages and websites online where news is posted in different formats like video and blog posts. People can access these posts and read the topics they may find interesting. Moreover, language settings are made available to facilitate readers from different cultures. Additionally, books are available online both for free and at some cost. Developed countries like Japan and China have online libraries now that are accessible by students and researchers.
On the other hand, people who read newspapers or books are still attracted by the hard copies. Newspapers might vanish over time because of the increased exposure to news. However, books deem not to be hitting ground anytime soon. Books of different kinds like religious books, comics and business tactics are still publicised. Moreover these books are gaining more and more popularity and people enjoy reading them in hard copies
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response presents a clear position regarding whether printed materials will disappear, arguing that hard copies will remain popular. However, the task achievement is significantly undermined by the severe length penalty, as the response contains only 194 words against the mandatory 250-word minimum. Due to this under-length requirement not being met, the development of ideas is necessarily curtailed. While the writer touches upon technology advancements and the enduring appeal of specific book genres such as religious books, comics, and business tactics, these points remain somewhat under-developed and lack extension. Consequently, the upper bounds of the band descriptors cannot be reached, limiting the task response score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay displays a basic structural organization with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a concluding stance. Logical progression is attempted, transitioning from online accessibility to the counter-argument regarding hard copies. However, paragraphing and cohesive devices are rather simplistic and sometimes mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'Moreover' and 'Additionally' are used, but referencing is occasionally weak, such as 'these books are gaining more and more popularity' without fully anchoring back clearly. Furthermore, the absence of a distinct concluding paragraph impacts the overall logical flow and structural completeness of the essay.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for communicating basic ideas, featuring terms such as 'advancements in technology,' 'online libraries,' and 'exposure to news.' The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but encounters issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'books deem not to be hitting ground anytime soon' and 'business tactics are still publicised' (where 'tactics' is less appropriate than 'books'). Spelling and word formation are generally acceptable, but the overall lexical range remains somewhat limited and repetitive, preventing the response from achieving a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like 'Advancements in technology may propose...' and 'Developed countries like Japan and China have online libraries now that are...'. There is an attempt at variety, but grammatical accuracy fluctuates. Errors are present, such as 'Even, today news channels have...' (awkward phrasing and comma placement) and 'books deem not to be hitting' (incorrect verb form and idiom usage). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from rising into the higher bands.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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