Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people like to try new things, for example, places to visit and types of food. Other people prefer to keep doing things they are familiar with.

Discuss both these attitudes and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, Many people prefer to try new things like visit and different types of food and it is become widely discussed concern. Some people believe that to visit and try new types of food is a good thing, While others prefer to do the thing which are familiar with. This essay will discuss both the views before explaining why I believe that to try new things is a good idea in this era.

On the one hand, some people prefer to travel all over the world and also try new variety in foods. One of the main reasons is that in today's culture people like to have fun and also visit new places with their friends and family and in that time they also try new types of food. For example, my visit to Italy and he try different types of foods and he really enjoy it. Therefore, If someone wants to visit a new place and try a different food they can easily go and visit. Personally, I agree with this view because I am a traveling person and I like to eat and taste different types of food all over the world.

On the other hand, few people thinks that they have to do the thing in which they are familiar. This is mainly because, few people want to live their personal life alone with their own family. For instance, people do not prefer to do new things which they not familiar like travel and also mainly food because they believe by trying different food is not good for their health.

In conclusion, both views have their own advantages. While some people prefer to travel and try different foods, others prefer to stay familiar what they know about the food and the places. In my opinion, as I mention above I would prefer to trave and have different types of foods in my life.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, meeting the basic requirements of the task. However, the development of ideas is limited. The arguments provided are somewhat repetitive and lack depth. For instance, the explanation for why some people prefer familiarity is brief and relies on general statements rather than well-supported reasoning. The example provided regarding a visit to Italy is confusing due to a shift in pronouns ('my visit' followed by 'he try'), which weakens the clarity of the argument. To improve, you should aim to provide more detailed explanations and more coherent examples to support your points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal the transition between ideas. However, the progression of ideas within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the shift from 'my visit' to 'he' in the second paragraph. Additionally, some sentences are linked in a mechanical way. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the logical flow between sentences is smoother and more precise.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'try new things', 'different types of food', and 'visit new places' are used frequently throughout the text. There is little evidence of less common or more sophisticated vocabulary. Furthermore, there are some word choice errors, such as 'widely discussed concern' and 'stay familiar what they know', which sound unnatural. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations related to the topic of travel, lifestyle, and personal preferences to demonstrate a broader range of language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('few people thinks'), incorrect verb forms ('it is become'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization and comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement will significantly improve your score.

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.