Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12
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)
Some individuals like to explore new places, taste different food and try to look different with their new attire to experience different feeling and also get use to all kind of environments. However, others like to stick to their mundane routine habits due escape from the jeopardising situations. This essay will discuss both the viewpoints and elucidate more detail in the below paragraphs with my personal opinion.
On the one hand, a few individuals who try some unusual things in their life in terms of gaining personal growth, understand others life style and to do exciting things in their life. This propensity help one to be more confident since visiting other place people foster communication skills while meeting different back ground personalities. Moreover, they can also experience exciting things in their life to escape from the daily mundane tasks to carry unforgettable nostalgic memories. Similarly, trying different food might help one to take privilege to taste something new recipes inspite of eating same food all the time. Additionally, trying new cloths might help one to comprehend other’s culture and tradition; which help one to mingle and stay comfortably.
On the other hand, people who always like to stay with in the limit and not trying some exciting things they believe that these situations might render discomforts and also fetch several dangerous situations while exploring new cuisines or visiting some unfamiliar places, instead they like to stay with their regular routine to be in safer zone. Furthermore, som like to visit places which they are familiar for the own convenient and also some have emotional attachments spending their time in the same place.
To conclude, even though, both viewpoints have their own significance and benefits but I personally believe that people who try new things might learn several lessons, develop various skills and experience unique culture and tradition. Hence,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the benefits of trying new things and the preference for familiar routines. However, the development is uneven. The first body paragraph attempts to explain the benefits of novelty but suffers from unclear phrasing, such as 'take privilege to taste something new recipes'. The second body paragraph is somewhat repetitive and lacks specific examples to support the claims about safety and emotional attachment. The conclusion is incomplete, as it cuts off abruptly after the first sentence. While the position is clear, the lack of a full conclusion and the under-developed arguments limit the score to a 5.5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore', but they are sometimes used mechanically or incorrectly. For instance, 'Similarly' is used to introduce a point about food, but the connection to the previous point about communication is weak. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences is sometimes interrupted by awkward phrasing. The abrupt ending significantly impacts the overall coherence of the piece.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'jeopardising situations' instead of 'risky situations', 'take privilege to taste' instead of 'have the opportunity to try', and 'stay with in the limit'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, the errors occasionally make the intended meaning slightly difficult to grasp. A wider range of vocabulary and more natural collocations are needed to reach a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('This propensity help'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing that affects clarity. For example, 'som like to visit places which they are familiar for the own convenient' contains multiple errors in a single sentence. Punctuation is generally functional, but the incomplete final sentence is a significant issue. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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