Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-05
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)
Living in this contemporary era is a privilege for humans as compared to our history. Because nowadays, there are a lot of facilities for the humans and a lot of things have changed such as mobile phones, roads, electricity, and so on. I believe that our current living time would be the best time to consider in the future history. More supporting points would be considered in the looming paragraphs.
Without an iota of doubt, in the present era, we enjoy the perks of internet, mobile phones, infrastructure advancements, health facilities, and many more. These changes in the human life took place in the last five decades, which is very fast as compared to the old history. Therefore, our future generation would have plethora of things to study in the history.
Moreover, there are things on which scientists are still working on it. For instance, many researches and experiments are going to increase the lifespan of humans or even making humans immortal, which appears to be unrealistic today. But later in time it can become possible as said by the scientists. Thus that time would also be interested to live in, in history.
The aforementioned points are evident to say the current time and the time when humans become immortals would be the best time in history to live in.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address both parts of the prompt—the current era and a future time—the discussion is superficial. You list general benefits like 'internet' and 'mobile phones' without explaining why these make the current time the 'best'. The second part of the prompt regarding another interesting time in history is misinterpreted; you discuss a hypothetical future where humans are immortal rather than a specific historical period (e.g., the Renaissance or the Industrial Revolution). Consequently, the ideas are under-developed and the task is only partially addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is limited. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'For instance', but the transitions between sentences are sometimes mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final paragraph where you refer to 'the time when humans become immortals' as a time in history, which creates confusion. The logical flow is hindered by the brevity of the arguments, making the overall structure feel disjointed rather than a cohesive exploration of the topic.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You use some good phrases like 'iota of doubt' and 'infrastructure advancements', but there is also repetitive and simplistic language, such as 'a lot of facilities' and 'a lot of things'. There are also minor errors in word choice, such as 'looming paragraphs' (which usually implies something negative) and 'interested to live in' instead of 'interesting'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and avoiding repetitive structures.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'there are things on which scientists are still working on it' (redundant 'it'), 'many researches' (research is uncountable), and 'as compared to the old history' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence construction often feels clunky. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate better control over complex sentence forms and ensure subject-verb agreement and article usage are more consistent.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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