Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-09

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 people like to try new things as they get pretty bored of their monotonous life and want to do something exciting which makes their life more fun. these people like to travel to new places and try new food. going to new places give you experiences thaf you never could have imagined and they also teaches you a lot which you dont learn from textbooks. going to new places meeting new people getting to know about them their culture shows you a different part of life and a different perspective to live life which can be life changing for some people and on the other hand their are people who prefer doing things that they are comfortable with because i feel they are too scared to try something new because they dont want change and adapt to it and are not ready to move out of their comfort zone. usually these are people who prefer stability in life rather than taking risks. In my perspective i think im more of a guy who likes to try new things as you learn a lot from that you cant learn anywhere else and it also makes you more independent and confident i believe because youre not afraid of change but instead youre ready to adapt it. and if youre not willing to take risks and adapt to changes it will be harder for you to survive because i think with time you should change and adapt to survive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both attitudes and state a clear preference for trying new things, so the response is relevant to the task. The benefits of novelty are explained through travel, learning about cultures, and becoming more independent and confident. However, the familiar-routine viewpoint is less fully developed: you mainly suggest that such people fear change, then briefly mention their preference for stability. Explain a positive reason for choosing familiar activities, such as comfort, reliability, or financial considerations, to make the discussion more balanced. Your conclusion is present in the final sentence, but the opinion could be stated more directly and supported with a specific example. The response is three words below the required minimum, so ensure future essays meet the stated length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response follows a broadly understandable sequence: it introduces people who seek novelty, contrasts them with those who prefer familiarity, and then gives your own view. However, almost the entire answer is presented as one continuous paragraph, and several ideas run together in very long sentences. This makes the progression difficult to follow, especially in the section beginning “going to new places meeting new people.” The repeated use of “and” and the abrupt transition “and on the other hand” also make cohesion feel mechanical. Use separate paragraphs for the two attitudes and your opinion, and divide related points into shorter sentences. Clearer referencing and a wider range of linking expressions would help readers follow how each reason supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including relevant expressions such as “monotonous life,” “comfort zone,” “stability,” and “adapt.” These show some ability to discuss the topic beyond very basic terms. However, the range is uneven, with repeated general words such as “new,” “life,” and “things,” and some choices are informal or imprecise for an essay, including “pretty bored” and “a guy.” There are also spelling and word-choice slips, such as “thaf” and “change and adapt it,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise topic vocabulary and natural collocations—for example, describe the benefits of familiar routines as security or predictability, rather than presenting them only as fear of change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex structures, including explanations with “because” and contrasts between the two attitudes. The main message is generally understandable, but some errors in sentence structure, agreement, verb forms, and punctuation make the writing less controlled. For example, “going to new places give you experiences” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “they also teaches you” has the same problem. The long opening section joins many clauses without full stops, and the final sentence beginning “and if youre” is not clearly separated from the preceding idea. Use complete sentences with accurate agreement, and check apostrophes and sentence boundaries. Shorter, well-controlled sentences alongside your complex attempts would improve clarity.

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