Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-30

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)

Some people say that no one will buy printed newspapers or books in the future, because they will be able to read anything anywhere they want online without paying. I completely agree with this point of view, because of the rapid increase of mobile phones, anyone can open their smartphones and read whatever they want. Moreover, nowadays people consider digital media rather than printed newspaper because digital media is free of cost and easily available.

Because of dramatic growth of population in the last decade, people have more smartphones from which they can access anything and also read exclusive books with subscriptions. For instance, if someone want to read anything on bus and they forget their book at home, so they can easily access with the mobile phone. As a result, they can read any book anywhere. The portability of books or anything they want to read became handy and in future I think no one would buy printed newspaper or books.

In the current times people consume more digital media compared to newspaper or books, one of the main reason is that the access to digital media is completely free and have visuals in it. As a human behaviour, we are more excited to see visual data rather than text. For example, there is a news paper which cost 1 dollar, while subscription to digital media is completely free. And in near future people will not buy newspapers or books as they can read or see online.

In conclusion, I believe that in the near future, newspaper and books will obsolete, because of the digital media and the portability of mobile phones. So, people will not buy newspapers or books because they'll be able to read everything they want online without paying.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction to the conclusion: you completely agree that online access will replace purchases of printed newspapers and books. You support this with relevant points about smartphone portability and the appeal of digital media, including the example of reading on a bus. This addresses the task, but the two main reasons are not developed equally or precisely. In particular, the claim that digital media is “completely free” is too broad, especially since you also mention books accessed “with subscriptions”; explain the difference between free content and paid services. The point about visual data is also asserted rather than fully connected to why people will stop buying printed books. Develop these ideas with clearer explanation and qualification.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting reasons, and a conclusion that restates your position. The examples generally follow the points they are intended to support. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical or unclear. For example, the second paragraph moves from population growth to smartphone ownership and then to forgetting a book on the bus, without clearly explaining how population growth supports the argument. Connect each example explicitly to its main point. Repeated phrases such as “read anything” and “newspapers or books,” along with frequent use of “because” and “as a result,” make cohesion less flexible. More precise referencing and varied transitions would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main argument, including relevant terms such as “digital media,” “portability,” and “subscriptions.” Some attempts at more specific language help convey your ideas, but word choice and collocation are not always natural or precise. For instance, “the portability of books … became handy” does not clearly express the convenience of reading on a phone, and “newspaper and books will obsolete” uses the wrong form. “Free of cost” and “visual data” are also less natural in these contexts. Repetition of “read,” “anything,” and “digital media” limits the range. Aim for accurate topic-specific phrases and check whether each expression fits its context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a conditional example (“if someone want to read…”) and clauses introduced by “because” and “while.” The overall meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Subject–verb agreement is incorrect in “someone want” and “one of the main reason”; the latter also needs a plural noun. The sentence beginning “For instance” has an awkward conditional construction, and “they can easily access with the mobile phone” lacks a clear grammatical object. There are also problems with articles and sentence boundaries, such as “newspaper and books will obsolete.” Practise building accurate conditional sentences and checking agreement, articles, and verb forms while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.