Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-18

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 7.0)

It is argued that the future will see the complete demise of printed newspapers and books, driven by the absolute availability of free digital content. While I agree that online reading will argued/continued to dominate the market, I strongly disagree with the notion that print media will vanish entirely or that high-quality content will ever be completely free of charge.

Firstly, the assertion that everyone will be readable online without cost is highly unrealistic. Creating reliable journalism and high-quality literature requires significant financial investments. If publishers and authors cannot afford to produce it. Consequently, we are already seeing a massive shift towards subscription models, digital paywalls, and premium micro-transactions. Renowned newspapers, such as The New York Times, restricts their best articles to paying subscribers, and e-book platforms require direct purchases. Therefore, while free, ad-supported content will always exist, premium and specialized knowledge will remain behind paid digital walls.

Furthermore, the physical formats of books and newspapers possesses unique values that digital screens cannot replicate, ensuring their survival. For many readers, physical books are offering a tactile and immersive experience that reduces screen fatigue and aids concentration. They are also collected as aesthetic household items and cherished as gifts. Similarly, while local printed newspaper are declining, they still leave/serve older demogrraphics and niche communities who prefer a offline routine. Rather than facing total extinction, printed books are likely to become premium, artisanal products, much likely vinyl records have in the music industry.

In conclusion, although digital platforms will undoubtedly reamin the primary medium for cansuming written content, the printed word is not designed for complete obselescene. High quality writing will always demand financial compensation, and the unique, tangible appeal of physical books will ensure they maintain a permanent, albeit smaller, place in our lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.5

Your position is clear throughout: you accept that online reading will dominate but reject the claims that print will disappear and that all digital content will be free. Both parts are addressed with relevant support, including paywalls and subscriptions, the tactile appeal of books, and the comparison with vinyl records. These examples extend your main points and keep the response focused. To strengthen the development further, qualify broad claims such as “high-quality writing will always demand financial compensation” and explain more precisely how printed newspapers might survive, since the discussion of their future is briefer than that of books. Overall, the argument is well supported, though a few claims are generalised.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear progression: an introduction states your position, two body paragraphs develop the digital-payment and print-survival arguments, and the conclusion restates the main view. Sequencing signals such as “Firstly,” “Furthermore,” and “In conclusion” make the structure easy to follow, and examples are generally placed beside the points they support. Some linking is less smooth where ideas are joined mechanically, particularly “If publishers and authors cannot afford to produce it. Consequently,” which breaks the connection between cause and result. The shift from books to local newspapers is understandable but could be signposted more clearly. More varied, precise transitions and smoother links between sentences would make cohesion less noticeable and progression more consistently fluent.

Lexical Resource: Band 7.0

You use a good range of topic vocabulary, including “digital paywalls,” “subscription models,” “tactile,” “screen fatigue,” and “artisanal products.” These choices show awareness of register and help express distinctions between free and premium content and between digital and physical reading. There are, however, occasional inaccurate or awkward choices that reduce precision: “absolute availability,” “premium micro-transactions,” and “serve older demographics” do not sound fully natural in context. Several spelling slips, including “rema[in],” “consuming,” and “obsolescence,” also affect the overall impression of control. Aim to check collocations and spelling carefully, and choose simpler wording when a more elaborate phrase is not exact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You attempt a useful mix of complex and simple structures, including the concession in “While I agree…” and the purpose clause “ensuring their survival.” Many sentences communicate the argument clearly, but grammatical control is uneven, so the response does not yet show the consistently accurate range expected at a higher level. For example, “If publishers and authors cannot afford to produce it” is an incomplete sentence, and “newspapers…restricts” has a subject–verb agreement error. There are also problems with plural agreement in “formats…possesses” and “newspaper are declining,” and with verb forms in “books are offering.” Review sentence boundaries, agreement, and verb patterns, then proofread each sentence for a complete and consistent structure.

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