Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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 things, for example, places to visit and types of food. Other persons prefer to keep things they are used to. In this essay, I will discuss both these attitudes and give my own opinion.

Exploring new things have a lot of benefits.It broadens ones range of experience and interation. for example, when I travelled to Senegal last year, I was able to interact with people from different social and ethnic background. In the process, I made many close friends from among them who are my business associate up to date.

I also learnt to prepare different meals like dokworo, a meal prepared from corn which has been added to our family menu.

In the othe hand, doing things the way one is familiar with has it's merits. It rarely creates room for mistakes and regrets For example, last month my family wanted to host our group of friends and I suggested to cook one of the meals I learnt during my trip to Senegel so as to impress our guests. My sister was not comfortable with the arrangement. Though i prepared the dish, my sister made jollof rice because she believed that most of our guest might not like my new dish. And that was exactly what happened. All the visitors preferred the jollof rice. Also doing things one is familiar with, gives one so much confidence.

Having discussed both these attitudes, I am of the opinion that the decision depends on individual. It is good to explore new things as it broadens ones range of experience and interaction. Doing things one is familiar with gives confidence and most times leaves no room for mistakes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both attitudes and give a personal position, so the response covers the main parts of the task. The examples from your trip to Senegal and the meal chosen for your guests make the discussion relevant and personal. The benefits of trying new things are supported with specific outcomes—new friendships and adding a dish to the family menu. The familiar approach is also illustrated, but its advantages are less fully explained: the claim that it “rarely creates room for mistakes and regrets” is broad, and the final point about confidence is not developed with an example. Your conclusion says the choice depends on the individual, but could state more clearly which attitude you favour overall and why.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two attitudes, and a conclusion. The examples generally appear in the paragraph where readers expect them, and phrases such as “For example” and “Having discussed both these attitudes” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, some links are mechanical or unclear. “In the othe hand” is intended to introduce a contrast, while “And that was exactly what happened” could be connected more smoothly to the preceding explanation. The conclusion repeats earlier points rather than drawing them together into a more decisive final view. Improve progression by linking each example explicitly to the claim it supports and varying transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to discuss the topic and communicate your examples, including phrases such as “range of experience,” “social and ethnic background,” and “family menu.” There are also attempts at more specific language, such as naming the dish and describing how it is prepared. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “range of experience and interation,” “business associate,” and “doing things the way one is familiar with.” Spelling errors such as “Senegel” and “othe” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the main ideas, but a more precise and consistently natural choice of words would make the discussion clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a time clause in “when I travelled to Senegal last year” and a concession beginning “Though I prepared the dish.” The main ideas remain understandable, but some errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and punctuation are present. For example, “Exploring new things have” should use a singular verb, and “most of our guest” needs a plural noun. In “I was able to interact with people from different social and ethnic background,” the noun phrase also needs a plural form. Several sentences run together or lack punctuation, as in “It rarely creates room for mistakes and regrets For example.” Check sentence boundaries and proofread agreement and articles; more consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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