Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-04
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)
A few people believe that present is the best period in human history to be alive. I strongly agree with this view, as modern life offers far better access to education, career choices and global exploration when compared to earlier. However, if i could visit the other era, I would choose the time before electricity, when people lived close harmony with nature.
Modernization has made higher education far more affordable. Many governments now offer fee reimbursement schemes for selected courses, which enables students to pursue higher degrees regardless of their financial background at a much lower cost than in the past. As a result, a growing number of young people from ordinary families are receiving higher education and securing better jobs. For instance, In India, several state governments Furthermore, due to increase in technology, students have a lot of resources to explore a various carrer choices and have the way to decide what they truly wanted to be.
On the other hand,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses the main parts of the prompt by giving an opinion on living in the present era and mentioning an alternative historical period. However, the length requirement is not met, as the response contains only 162 words, falling well short of the 250-word minimum. Furthermore, the second body paragraph is abruptly cut off mid-sentence, leaving the discussion of the alternative era incomplete and under-developed. To reach a higher level, the writer must fully develop all parts of the prompt, support all ideas with adequate examples, and complete the required word count.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5
There is some basic organisation with an introduction and initial body paragraph, but the overall progression breaks down completely due to the incomplete ending where the text trails off into 'On the other hand,'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the abrupt halt prevents any logical conclusion or effective overall structure. Cohesive devices are minimal and mechanical, and referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the ambiguous transition to the second body section. To improve, the writer needs to ensure all paragraphs are fully written out and connected logically from introduction to conclusion using a wider range of appropriate cohesive links.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, featuring some attempts at less common words such as 'modernization', 'reimbursement', and 'exploration'. However, there are noticeable word choice and spelling errors that show limited control, such as omitting articles ('when compared to earlier'), misspelling career ('carrer'), and awkward phrasing like 'close harmony with nature' instead of 'in close harmony'. These inaccuracies prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher standard. To improve, the writer should focus on precise word choices, correct collocations, and careful proofreading to eliminate spelling mistakes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, mixing simple forms with a few complex attempts. There are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and articles, such as omitting the article before present ('believe that present is'), incorrect pronoun use ('if i could'), and faulty prepositional patterns ('due to increase in technology'). These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader and reflect a restricted control over more complex grammatical patterns. To achieve a higher score, the writer must incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex sentences and maintain better control over basic grammatical agreements and article usage.
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