Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-05

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)

Buying hard copy of newspapers and books while they will be easily available on internet to read without spending money remains a great topic of discussion nowadays. I strongly degree with this statement because the distraction associated with the electronic devices can be completely avioded through printed form of newspaper and books as well as using conventional method for reading may help retaining the attention span.

Smart devices are problems for individuals to do a task with full focus. Primarily, there are many social media apps whose algorithms are designed to ensure maximum screen time of an individual. Furthurmore, these apps are smart enough to pup up the notifications that a person likely clicks. In this scenario, reader finds it very difficult to read a literature or current affairs without opening another application.

The major serious issue is consuming the one minute videos in form of reels. These are very short form of content which creates the craving for instant lust in a society espacially young people and children. This is causing a very short attention spam in individuals. Many brain specialist suggest to put the phone far away from the sight. This will help to perform a task meaningfully. Reading newspapers and books through such devices which offer an instant pleasure willl not help to do reading without the thoughts of using entertainment applications. No such issue is associated with reading from printouts.

In conclusion, using e-platforms for reading are much easier to access and economical, but they are highly likely going to cause lack of attention and consistancy. In that scenario, using traditional methods to stay updated and consume literature is the optimum solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear stance against the statement, arguing that distraction-free printed materials are superior to free online content. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and uneven across the paragraphs. For instance, the discussion on social media distraction and reels is relevant, but it tends to over-generalize rather than deeply explore broader economic or cultural arguments regarding the future of publishing. While the writer expresses a position throughout the essay, some arguments remain surface-level and lack fuller extension and support, which keeps the task response profile at this level. To reach higher bands, the writer should provide more thoroughly developed arguments with concrete examples or deeper analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas from the introduction through body paragraphs focusing on distractions and attention spans, culminating in a clear conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate distinct main points. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or somewhat faulty; for example, referencing and transitions between sentences could be smoother. Phrases like 'Smart devices are problems for individuals' and 'The major serious issue is' feel a bit abrupt. To progress further, the writer needs to employ a wider and more flexible range of cohesive devices and ensure that referencing across sentences is consistently clear and natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully communicating the writer's main ideas about digital distractions and traditional reading. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'attention span', 'algorithms', and 'optimum solution', but there are noticeable errors in word choice, form, and spelling, such as 'degree' instead of 'disagree', 'avioded', 'Furthurmore', 'pup up', 'espacially', and 'consistancy'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score. For a higher band, the writer should improve spelling accuracy, refine word choices for greater precision, and demonstrate more natural collocations when attempting more sophisticated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some attempt at subordination and relative clauses. However, there is a limited range of grammatical structures overall, and attempts at complex sentences are frequently marred by errors. Examples include awkward phrasing like 'Smart devices are problems for individuals to do a task with full focus' and missing articles or preposition issues, such as 'reader finds it very difficult to read a literature' and 'willl not help to do reading'. Errors in verb forms and agreement also occur, such as 'Many brain specialist suggest'. While these errors rarely completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the essay from achieving a higher grammar band. Incorporating a wider variety of error-free complex structures would improve this score.

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