Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-11-03

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)

There's a common talk nowadays that in the future, people will be able to read everything they want online without buying them. I agree with this statement because on one side every piece of information will be available on the internet and anybody can have access of those without needing to expend money, but I also believe that there will be some negative developments due to it.

At present, most of our people gain knowledge or read news from either the books or newspaper. Books enlighthen our minds and strengthen our morals by providing us with knowledge. Newspapers provide us with the necessary informations about what is happening in our country as well as what's happening all around the world. Aurthors and channels now provide their published books or news on the internet in their own websites. Some publish them without subscription, while some may demand money from them. However, many pirating softwares and websites can still find the book or news and provide them to people. For example, almost all the popular books are available online in pdf format where people can just download them for free.

I agree that being able to read everything online has its own perks. People now have access to all the information they might need to educate themselves in any topic. Many books may not be circulated in one's country. These books can be read online for free. So, people won't ever have to worry about lack of resources.

However, there remains some contradictory factors. Such as, the books or newspapers that are being pirated, officials and aurthors may not be able to earn money as people aren't buying them anymore. Also availabilty of everything online may lead to fake news or plagarism. People will become desentisized as more news about crimes they will see. For instance, rape cases have become so much common that people have become accumsted to hearing such news.

Although, information available on online is advantageous, we cannot overlook the possible drawbacks of it.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is stated clearly: you agree that online access will reduce the need to buy printed material, while recognising possible drawbacks. The discussion of free online books and the example of downloadable PDFs supports this view, and you address both benefits and disadvantages. However, the response only partly develops the task’s central prediction that nobody will buy printed newspapers or books. It does not explain whether print will disappear entirely or why some people may continue to buy it, and the drawbacks about piracy, fake news and desensitisation are not consistently linked to the future of printed publications. Develop these points with clearer reasoning and a more direct conclusion about the extent of your agreement. The response meets the stated length requirement; the 10 words copied from the prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a concluding sentence. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of your argument. However, progression between ideas is sometimes unclear or mechanical. For example, “However, there remains some contradictory factors” introduces a list of concerns, but the connection between piracy, fake news and people becoming desensitised is not explained. The opening paragraph also combines your position with several points before the main discussion begins. Use topic sentences that state each paragraph’s main claim, then explain how each example supports it. Check linking phrases such as “Although” in the conclusion, which currently introduces a contrast without completing one clearly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “subscription,” “pirating,” “plagiarism,” and “desensitized,” and you attempt to express ideas beyond basic everyday language. However, a limited range of inaccurate word choices and spelling errors sometimes make the meaning less clear. Examples include “a common talk,” “access of those,” “expend money,” and “necessary informations”; several terms are also misspelled, such as “enlighthen,” “availabilty,” and “accumsted.” Some phrases are imprecise, including “most of our people” and “contradictory factors.” Aim for accurate collocations and forms, and choose vocabulary that expresses the intended relationship precisely. Proofreading spelling and countability will make your ideas easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if people aren’t buying them anymore” and a concession in the final sentence. However, complex constructions are often faulty, and errors recur in sentence formation, agreement, articles and prepositions. For example, “Such as, the books or newspapers…” is a fragment, while “Although, information available on online is advantageous” has an incomplete or incorrectly formed clause. In “people will be able to read everything they want online without buying them,” the pronoun does not clearly agree with “everything.” Practise building complete sentences around linking words, and check that subjects, pronouns and articles match. More accurate control of these patterns would make the argument clearer.

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

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