Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-17
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In some cultures, children are often told that they can achieve anything if they try hard enough. What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving children this message?
Student answer (Band 5.5)
In many cultures espcially asian culture, parents often told their children that they can become more successful through hard work build a strong work ethic and resilience. However, it can also create unrealistic expectactions and pressure for children as every childrens is unique and excel in their own field. I believe this is largely negative and would gravely affect children in long run.
On one hand, in many cultures parents often encouraged their childrens to study harder in school so that they become sucessful in their future career. While this measure may come with several advantages like helping childrens builds their grit and growth mindset. For example, children learn to keep going when things get hard and challenging for them and keep focus on improving their skills instead of thinking talent is fixed.
On the other hand, this approach often come with psychological and pratical risk which is extremely damaging for young children. When children encounter hardship or negative situation, they often blaming themselves for the situation they're in. This could potentialy cause chronic stress and burnout for them. For example, kids feel they must always work at 100% capacity to solve a problem while
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 195 words long. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, leading to an incomplete conclusion and an unfinished final paragraph. While you identify both advantages and disadvantages, the lack of length prevents a full exploration of the topic. To improve, you must ensure you provide a complete, balanced argument with sufficient supporting evidence and a clear conclusion. The current response is truncated, which prevents it from fully addressing all parts of the task in a developed manner.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression using transition signals like 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, the cohesion is sometimes mechanical, and the abrupt ending of the final paragraph disrupts the flow of the argument. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'this measure', which does not clearly refer back to a specific noun phrase. To improve, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and that cohesive devices are used to link ideas more fluidly throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several errors in word form and spelling, such as 'espcially', 'sucessful', and 'pratical'. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary like 'resilience', 'growth mindset', and 'chronic stress', which is positive. However, the range is somewhat limited, and the errors in basic spelling and word choice occasionally distract the reader. To reach a higher band, focus on accurate spelling and incorporating more precise, academic collocations to express your ideas with greater sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the essay contains frequent grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('parents often told', 'every childrens is unique', 'this approach often come') and pluralization errors ('childrens'). These errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these slips prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly regarding plural nouns and verb tense consistency, to improve the overall quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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