Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-04
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people say that now is the best time in history to be living.
What is your opinion about this?
What other time in history would be interesting to live in?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
One of the pressing concerns widely discussed by the several people is that they believe it is ideally the perfect time to live in prehistoric period after looking at the current scenario of living life. From my perspective, after making a comparison of lifestyle of people from now to the periodical era, I am completely inclined towards the statement due its advantages acting as a double-edged sword.
To Commence with, earlier humanity was comprised with the perks in quality of food, standardized living, longer life span, solace of a mind, breathed fresh air, generosity in people, courageous and devotional personality, more patriotism. For instance, people from the age of Ramayana and Mahabharat believed in simple living yet by being kind and benevolent to each other regardless of their status.
However, in contemporary times, human beings live a fast paced world. Today's people have become more self centered, business minded, careless, irresponsible, dependant on technology for their daily needs. Infact, kids have became potato couch by gluing themselves with smartphones, television, play station instead of indulging into study related activities. Moreover, health sector is getting deteriorated. Increase in air pollution, hazardous emissions of chemicals from the factories, usage of non-recyclable products like plastics have an detrimental impact on the society. Few ages back, mankind use to utilize their brain by being less reliant on technology, which is the new face of the world.
To recapitulate, it is pivotal to preventive measures and bring impactful changes in the society by remembering the way of living of people back in the time. Consequently, such problems can be eradicated by a joint venture of human beings, society and government altogether can bring the change by making earth a better place to
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, though the development is uneven. You clearly state your preference for the past, citing examples like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. However, the discussion of the 'current scenario' is somewhat generic and relies on broad generalizations, such as labeling all modern children as 'potato couch' (couch potatoes). While you identify the past as a time you would like to live in, the connection to the prompt's requirement to discuss 'why' it would be interesting is slightly underdeveloped. To improve, ensure that your arguments are supported with more specific, nuanced examples rather than sweeping statements about modern society.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To Commence with', 'However', and 'To recapitulate'. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For instance, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is slightly abrupt. Additionally, the final sentence is incomplete, which disrupts the overall coherence of the conclusion. To reach a higher band, focus on ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that the concluding paragraph effectively summarizes the main points without trailing off.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'benevolent', 'detrimental', and 'pivotal'. However, there are several instances of inaccurate word choice and collocation errors that impede the natural flow of the text. For example, 'prehistoric period' is used incorrectly to refer to ancient civilizations like the Ramayana era, and 'potato couch' is a misuse of the idiom 'couch potato'. Furthermore, phrases like 'solace of a mind' and 'periodical era' are unnatural. Focusing on learning the correct context and collocation for academic vocabulary will significantly improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('kids have became'), incorrect verb tenses ('mankind use to utilize'), and awkward phrasing ('by the several people'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the incomplete final sentence is a significant error. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of these errors requires the reader to work harder to follow your points. Increasing your focus on basic grammatical accuracy and proofreading for verb forms will help you achieve a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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