Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-04

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)

To decide a perfect era to live is very debatable, however the modern era is considered a good time to be living. According to me, being born in ancient times would be a very good experience.

Technological revolution has significantly effected today's world we live in. Humans are blessed with all basic necessity and facilities which ancient people were deprived of. To cite an example, citizens can purchase groceries at departmental stores. People can buy milk a day-to-day necessity and car repair tools under one roof. Globalization has helped to develop retail stores like Walmart, which fulfils local people daily needs. So this is the reason which makes individuals believe they are living in the best time in the history.

Ancient people had various challenges during their time. Despite of all the difficulties they enjoyed their living and invented numerous ideas for an easy living. Those invention are still in use and provide modern people guidance during their tough times. For example, old people used charcoal and woods to lit up fire, which they used for cooking food. Even though the process evolved over the period of time and people started using the same technique for barbequing.

To conclude, there is no perfect time in which people can live in, life is like a roller-coaster and has various obstacles and joyful moments. I believe ancient time would be a great time to live in and fight hard everyday to meet daily needs. In today's world people go for camping and spends nights same way like ancient mans.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the opinion on the modern era and the interest in a historical period. However, the development is somewhat superficial. The discussion on the modern era focuses heavily on retail convenience, which is a narrow interpretation of 'best time in history.' The second part regarding ancient times is also underdeveloped, lacking specific historical context or depth. While the position is clear, the ideas are not fully extended, and the supporting examples are quite simplistic. To improve, you should explore broader themes such as healthcare, human rights, or global connectivity, and provide more substantial reasoning for your choice of a historical era.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression is sometimes weak. While there is an attempt to use cohesive devices (e.g., 'To cite an example,' 'Despite of,' 'To conclude'), some are used incorrectly or mechanically. For instance, 'Despite of' is a grammatical error that also disrupts the flow. The transition between the modern era and the ancient era is abrupt. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a strong thematic link between sentences. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus will enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You rely on basic terms like 'good time,' 'various,' and 'easy living.' There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'effected' (should be 'affected') and 'lit up fire' (should be 'light a fire'). The use of 'ancient mans' is also incorrect. To reach a higher band, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to history and societal development, and pay closer attention to collocations and word forms to avoid these recurring errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. There are several recurring grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement ('Those invention are'), incorrect prepositions, and word form errors ('technological revolution has significantly effected'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of errors in basic grammar structures is noticeable. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur often enough to affect the overall clarity. Focusing on proofreading for common errors like verb tenses and pluralization will help improve your score.

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

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