Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25

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)

In this modern era, life is better and easier in comparison to the past but everyone is busy in their daily life schedules.

According to my perspective, living standards increasing by the time as if we compared it to the history. Some people think its is the best time to live along with me. For example, in past for shopping we had to visit in-person for buying clothes, smartphones, grocery and many more. But in the 20th century we can easily order each and everything online like insta cart for grocery, best buy for smartphones and different online apps for clothes.

Furthermore, living in a past time is also very interesting because quality of environment like air and water was very good in comparison to the present. Additional to this, people life in past was very easy they are not stressed, as they had enough quality time to spend with there families, as they were enough passionate to chase money. To exemplify, in past they don't have internet, smartphones, online games but they engage themselves with physical activities like running, playing cricket, football with there friends and families which creates a good bond with there loved ones and keeps them stay healthy.

To conclude, we cannot compare the past and present because each time had their own luxury. As in present we have better technology and luxury facilities but in past people were physically engaged in everything and also had good bondings with relatives, neighbours and family.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the current era and an alternative historical period. However, the development is limited. The arguments regarding the present are supported by examples like online shopping, but the discussion of the past is somewhat contradictory and lacks depth. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum, which negatively impacts the overall task achievement. To improve, you should expand your points with more detailed explanations and ensure that your arguments are fully developed to meet the length requirement, which will allow for a more comprehensive exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical flow is sometimes hindered by repetitive phrasing and a lack of sophisticated cohesive devices. While you use some transition words like 'Furthermore' and 'To conclude', the connections between sentences are occasionally mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'they are not stressed, as they had enough quality time... as they were enough passionate to chase money', where the logic is difficult to follow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear transitions between ideas will help improve your score in this area.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'easy', and 'nice'. There are also some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'living standards increasing by the time' instead of 'living standards have increased over time' and 'enough passionate to chase money'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise vocabulary and idiomatic expressions that are appropriate for a formal essay. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you avoid repetition and express your ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('people life in past was'), incorrect verb tenses ('they don't have internet' when referring to the past), and misuse of articles and prepositions. Additionally, there are several punctuation and spelling errors, such as 'there' instead of 'their'. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common grammatical slips. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will be essential for achieving a higher band score.

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

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