Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 enjoy trying new experiences such as exploring new locations and different delicacies. On the hand some people prefer to stick with what they know best. In this essay, I will discuss the both views in the upcoming paragraphs with my opinion.

To begin with, there are various reasons why some person visiting to places and trying new food. It can be delightful experience as it allows people to learn more about a location and culture. Additionally, it can brings together individuals from the various parts of the world. For instance, during the Indian festivals like Holi, people from all over the world have opportunity to celebration and explore the culture. These festivals allows to try diverse culinary offering to India.

on the other hand, who wants to stay with similar things they have their own valid points. Firstly, some people finds this is daunting task for them due to some reasons as they have anxiety to going out or meeting new people and allergic from some food. To elaborate more some have fear from height and some have allergy from peanut they might hesitate to trying new dishes. Furthermore, not everyone has financial ability to explore places or try new food as some time travel expenses are high and new cuisine are costly. Consider homeless person who cannot afford a basic home how they can want to try new food or places as money remain critical concern.

In conclusion, while visiting new locations and try new meals are exciting and refreshing, other wants to try like they have expectations but they have some limitations to hold back.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion, though the opinion is not clearly stated in the introduction or conclusion. The ideas are relevant but often under-developed. For example, the argument regarding financial constraints is a valid point, but the example of a 'homeless person' is somewhat extreme and does not fully capture the nuance of why people prefer familiarity. The conclusion is quite weak and fails to synthesize the arguments effectively, merely repeating that there are limitations. To improve, ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your personal stance is explicitly stated and maintained throughout the essay.

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, 'On the hand' is missing a word, and 'To elaborate more some have fear' lacks proper punctuation and transition. The progression of ideas within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between cultural festivals and culinary offerings is abrupt. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in contrast') would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'delicacies' used in a context where 'experiences' or 'activities' might be more natural, and 'culinary offering to India' which is grammatically unclear. Some phrases are repetitive, such as 'try new food' and 'explore places'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate. Focus on learning common collocations related to travel and personal preferences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede communication. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('it can brings', 'some people finds', 'these festivals allows'), missing articles ('visiting to places'), and incorrect preposition usage ('allergic from', 'fear from'). While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, these are often marred by errors, such as 'how they can want to try'. The range of structures is limited, relying heavily on simple sentence patterns. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would lead to immediate improvement.

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

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