Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-24

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)

The advancement in technology has made our life more easier. Some people say that presently in the 21st century is the best time to live. From my perspective, humans have done so much development in every field to make our life better. Today, every sectors from healthcare, engineering to space are trying to solve the problems and obstacles. These arguments convinced me to appreciate hardwork of people and facilities that we have today.

To begin with, scientists, engineers and artists have made our life more convenient. In the contemporary era, we have now developed technology that allows us to communicate with the person who are living far away. For instance, individuals can stay away from their family for study or business purpose and they can still connected with loved ones through video calls and messages. They can also send live pictures and location with them. . These all the benefits and developments make me believe that this is the best time to live in history.

Some people argue that life has become stressful due to all inventions because we have more responsibilities now than ever in the past. They also say that people in the 19th century were more happier because there was no trade war, and destructive weapons. They also say that world war 1 and 2 are the result of such development. People in the 19th century were kind, co-operative and understanding. They care about each others need rather than competing each others.

To sum up, both sides have their own benefits, although I believe that people should enjoy the present era. It should be noted that every development is the results of such painful history.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the present is the best time to live because of advances in technology and other fields. You support this with a relevant example of video calls helping people stay connected with family. You also introduce a contrasting view about stress and the nineteenth century. However, the task asks which other historical period would be interesting for you to live in, and this is not answered directly: you describe what people in the nineteenth century were supposedly like, but do not say whether you would choose that period or explain why it would interest you. Several claims, such as people then being kinder, need more explanation or evidence. Address both questions explicitly and develop each reason with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, supporting paragraphs and a conclusion. Phrases such as “To begin with” and “To sum up” help signal the stages of the argument, and the example about communicating with distant family follows the point about convenience. However, progression is uneven: the paragraph beginning “Some people argue” presents a counterargument, but the essay does not clearly connect it to your own choice of another period. Some links are repetitive or unclear, including repeated use of “They also say” and the abrupt “These all the benefits” transition. The conclusion restates your view but does not resolve the historical-period question. Use clearer topic sentences and link each paragraph to the two questions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “contemporary era,” “healthcare,” “destructive weapons” and “development,” which allows you to discuss technology and historical change. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “trade war” and “video calls.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, for example “more easier,” “every sectors,” “hardwork,” and “competing each others.” Repetition of broad terms such as “development,” “life” and “people” also limits precision. Choose more natural combinations and vary key nouns: for instance, distinguish technological advances from social progress, and describe how these changes affect daily life. This would make your ideas clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause in “because we have more responsibilities” and a contrast introduced by “although.” The main message is generally understandable, but errors occur across sentence forms and sometimes make the reader pause. Examples include “Some people say that presently in the 21st century is the best time,” where the subject structure is incomplete, and “they can still connected,” which needs a finite verb form. Agreement and number are also inconsistent in “every sectors” and “each others need.” Punctuation is faulty in “messages. .” and there is an unnecessary double space before “say.” Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb forms, then proofread each sentence for complete structure.

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