Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-20

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 some societies, childrens are frequently told that they can achieve anything as long as they try hard. This is a good message for giving children because they can work hard to achieve their goal as well as its helps them to set their ambitious goal at the beginning stage. However, they have some difficulties when they are not able achieve that thing like demotivation, stress, etc..

One of the main advantage of this message is that it motivates the children to set their goals at a young age. After that, they have a specific pathway for their selected objective, by following that path they have more chances to build their career in that domain as compare to other children without a specific goal. For instance, there are some students during my studies, who have a basic guidance and certain goal before they get admission in specific program, while others can get basic during the duration of program. Owing to this, the students with goal can achieve good academic outcomes as compares to those without certain aim.

On the other hand, one of the main disadvantage of this message is that most of the children lose hope when they try hard but at end not achieve any specific outcome, so they start overthinking and taking stress as he compare himself with any other child who achieves success by following the same strategy. For example, a student work hard for during the whole program but not achieved the required outcome he imagine, so he starts demotivating himself and start getting stress which is not beneficial for his health.

In conclusion, it is true that everything have advantages as well as disadvantages but it depends on the children and their background. If the children is supported by family and society so whether he achieve or face failure, they try again and achieve that thing but if they lack these backings then he face severals disadvantages which ruin his career and ambition.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of the prompt. The position is clear throughout, and the main ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on the disadvantages relies heavily on the concept of 'stress' and 'demotivation' without exploring broader psychological or societal implications. While the prompt is addressed, the supporting examples, such as the personal anecdote about students, are slightly vague and could be more effectively integrated to strengthen the argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more nuanced reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One of the main advantage', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, there is some mechanical use of these devices, and some transitions feel slightly repetitive. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'that thing' which lacks a precise antecedent. Overall, the progression of ideas is coherent, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and more sophisticated referencing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'domain', 'objective', and 'academic outcomes'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'get basic' instead of 'receive foundational knowledge' and 'severals disadvantages'. The range is sufficient to communicate, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Improving the accuracy of word forms and collocations will significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'childrens are', 'everything have', 'the children is') and article usage. There are also issues with tense consistency and pronoun reference (e.g., 'he compare himself'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring consistent subject-verb agreement would be highly beneficial.

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