Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-22

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)

In the future newspapers and traditional books would be totally exchanged with e-books and online news. I strongly agree with this view, because nowadays, the enhancement of technologies is widely appreciated by several people in the world.

Digital books and online news could have several drawbacks as it has numerous benefits. One of the disadvantage of reading online could be straining the eyes that could damage the health of the eyes. Another would be that online there could be a lot of contents that are altered and not accurate. For example, students who will rely on digital tools and online resources might have picked up the wrong opinions and learnings because of the rampant falsification of contents.

On the other hand, utilizing resources that are online is more accessible and handy. Students nowadays find it easier to do there homeworks because of the growing online resources that are available. Another would be health wise, students bring smaller bags than before, which could avoid back and shoulder injuries in carrying heavy bags with several books in it.

While, the older generations find it difficult to keep up with the advanment of the platforms that deliver news. I believe that there are still some who still buy the physical newspaper and prefer reading through the traditional way.

In conclusion, the advancement of technologies could be helpful in making things easier for some people, especially the youngsters. However, older generations must also try to adjust and try to do things the way the new generations has to offer.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you strongly agree that digital sources will replace printed newspapers and books, and you give relevant reasons, including convenience, eye strain, and the risk of inaccurate online content. However, the response only partly develops the exact claim in the prompt. The task concerns whether people will stop buying printed material because online reading is free, but your discussion focuses more on technology’s general benefits and on students and older generations. The point about older readers still buying newspapers also complicates your position without explaining whether this is a temporary exception or a reason to disagree. To strengthen the response, address the role of free access directly and explain how each example supports your view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, paragraphs presenting disadvantages and benefits, a qualification about older readers, and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help signal these stages. However, progression between ideas is not always clear: the paragraph beginning “While” is a fragment-like transition, and the discussion moves from online misinformation to students’ schoolwork and then to carrying books without clearly connecting these points to the central claim. Some links are also repetitive, particularly “Another would be.” Organise the body around a small number of main reasons, and use topic sentences and clearer references to show how each example supports your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including “digital books,” “online resources,” “traditional newspaper,” and “back and shoulder injuries.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “rampant falsification of contents.” However, several choices are awkward or imprecise, which makes parts of the argument less natural: “totally exchanged with” does not express replacement idiomatically, and “the enhancement of technologies” is unclear in this context. “Learnings” and “contents” are also unsuitable or unnatural choices here. Spelling errors such as “advanment” are noticeable. Aim for accurate collocations and more precise wording, for example, describe printed books as being “replaced by digital editions” and online information as potentially “misleading or unreliable.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional example beginning “Students who will rely on digital tools” and a contrast introduced by “While.” The main message is generally understandable, but errors in sentence construction and agreement recur. For example, “One of the disadvantage” has a singular/plural mismatch, “While, the older generations…” is not a complete sentence, and “the new generations has to offer” has incorrect subject–verb agreement. There are also problems with pronouns and verb forms, as in “as it has numerous benefits” after a plural subject and “might have picked up … and learnings.” Review agreement, clause completeness, and consistent verb forms. Building accurate complex sentences will make your reasoning easier to follow.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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