Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-18
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)
Several people find enjoyment in trying new things. The prefer to try new cuisine and visit new locations. While other like to keep things simple and straight forward. Therefore to avoid new things and stick to familiar things. In my opinion no doubt people should explore new things but it is totally depends on individual how they live their lives.
On the one hand, Trying new things is an excellent hobby. As it not only bring enjoyment and excitement into people's lives but also teach many valuable lessons. People who prefer to try new things, they live their lives with thrill and surprises. When they try new things, the result can be unexpected and disappointed. As a result, they learn new lessons and do not take things for granted. For instance, Many food bloggers try different cuisines from all around the world. they experience disappointment from food that they find no taste and pleasure from good food. Therefore, the thrill to learn new experience drive these people to try new things.
On the other hand, many people prefer to avoid any unpleasure surprise because of this they keep things simple and avoid trying new things. Nowadays, people are really busy with jobs and responsibilities, they do not have a lot of time to enjoy their lives. Owing to this they prefer to use this limited time to do the things they like and avoid trying new experiences that can lead to disappointment and waste of time. Therefore, certain people stuck to same routine and keep thing simple.
To conclude, people driven to thrill and excitement prefer to try new things. While other who want to avoid any unpleasure surprises keep
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of why people prefer familiar routines is brief and relies on general statements about being 'busy with jobs'. The conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence, which prevents a full summary of the position. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or deeper analysis rather than repeating the same ideas about 'disappointment' and 'thrill'.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'Therefore to avoid new things' is grammatically awkward and does not logically connect to the previous sentence. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the phrase 'because of this they keep things simple', where the antecedent is vague. The abrupt ending of the essay significantly impacts the overall coherence and flow of the final paragraph.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'try new things' and 'keep things simple'. There are also several word-choice errors, such as 'unpleasure surprise' (should be 'unpleasant') and 'stuck to same routine' (should be 'stick to the same routine'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and ensure that your collocations are natural. The range is sufficient to communicate your meaning, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('it is totally depends', 'it not only bring'), article usage ('the thrill to learn new experience'), and sentence fragments ('While other like to keep things simple and straight forward'). While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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