Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-22
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)
I highly agree with this opinion that now is the best time to be living because the world is now more developed, modern and people have more freedom to live.
Earlier, most of the time was spent by the people in creating this world. People used to work for more long hours in developing the world. Earlier, there were too less restaurants, no recreation centres and people had no work life balance. People were unaware and only spent time at homes and work. There was a lack of transportation and there was no concept of globalization.
Earlier, there used to be so many wars between countries and people spent most of the time protecting their countries. People were less educated and the world was not as peaceful as it is now. There was too much gender inequality too as it was too much traditional society for women to live. There were so much expectations for women to stay in house and only do household work. They had no social life and were only expected to obey their husbands.
Nowadays things has changed. People have better social lives. People live peaceful lives. Although there are still war like situations in some parts of the world but still its better than the past. People now have more freedom to live the life they want. There has been great advancements in technology which has helped people alot. People now make more money as compared to past. People have now access to better recreation centres, parks, restaurants, malls etc as compared to apst
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the opinion on why today is the best time to live and a reflection on another interesting historical period. However, the second part of the prompt—discussing another time in history that would be interesting to live in—is completely missing. The essay focuses exclusively on comparing the present to the past. Because a major component of the task is ignored, the development is unbalanced. To improve, ensure you explicitly name and discuss a specific historical era (e.g., the Renaissance or the Industrial Revolution) as requested by the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the general flow. However, the use of cohesive devices is quite mechanical and repetitive. For instance, the phrase 'People' is used as the subject for almost every sentence in the second and third paragraphs, creating a monotonous rhythm. Transitions between ideas are basic (e.g., 'Earlier', 'Nowadays'). To reach a higher band, you should use a wider variety of linking words and pronouns to connect sentences more fluidly and avoid starting every sentence with the same noun.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely heavily on simple adjectives like 'good', 'better', and 'more'. Phrases like 'war like situations' and 'too less restaurants' are unnatural. There are also minor spelling errors, such as 'apst' instead of 'past'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to history, sociology, and technological advancement, rather than repeating basic descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include 'I highly agree with this opinion that now is...', 'most of the time was spent by the people', and 'things has changed' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, 'too less' is grammatically incorrect; 'far fewer' would be appropriate. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of comparative structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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