Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-07

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, people are more prone to do some different things in their lives. But some people prefer to keep doing things they are familiar with. It totally depends on an individual. This essay will focus on both viewpoints with relevant examples. After that, I will give my opinion in further discussion.

On the one hand, some people like to try some new things in their lives, like visiting new places and trying some new foods, etc. There are significant reasons behind these changes. People can get the opportunity to learn something new from different cultures. By doing such things, they can build various skills like critical thinking, better networking power, decision-making ability, and many more. Even their experiences could be helpful to survive in the future if they have to stay in different places. For instance, people can get better opportunities to experience different places.

On the other hand, some people may think that they keep doing things they are familiar with. They think that they can do better if they retain their one practice. But, significantly, it leads to the detrimental effect in their career because they are stuck on their old practice. Someone does not want to change their practice because they feel that they could not grab the desired outcome of what they set up. For example, one of my friends, Mr. Janak, has been doing their work by following his old style. Later, he faced some issues regarding their career growth.

From my perspective, everyone has to learn new things on a regular basis because it significantly enhances some vital skills as mentioned above.

In conclusion, I firmly believe that people have to learn new things so that they can live their lives in this competitive world without any hurdles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both viewpoints and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention benefits like 'critical thinking' and 'networking', these points are not fully expanded upon with concrete examples. The example provided for the second viewpoint regarding your friend, Mr. Janak, is a good start but lacks sufficient detail to fully illustrate the 'detrimental effect' mentioned. To improve, ensure that each main point is supported by a more detailed explanation or a more comprehensive example to demonstrate a deeper level of engagement with the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in the argument. However, the transition between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Someone does not want to change their practice because they feel that they could not grab the desired outcome of what they set up'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary like 'competitive world', 'career growth', and 'critical thinking'. However, there is a reliance on repetitive and somewhat simplistic phrasing, such as 'do some different things' and 'doing things they are familiar with'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise and sophisticated collocations and avoid repeating the same phrases throughout the essay. Expanding your range of synonyms will help demonstrate greater lexical flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'people are more prone to do' (should be 'prone to doing') and 'doing their work by following his old style' (inconsistent pronoun usage). Additionally, some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'they can do better if they retain their one practice'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent pronoun usage will improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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