Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-14

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people think it's better to choose friends who always have the same opinions as them. Other people believe it's good to have friends who sometimes disagree with them.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.5)

It is argued that individuals should select their friends who have same interests as their own. While other believe that they should choose friends who has opposite views. Well, I believe there should be a balance for both type of friends to have full exposure to the reality we live in. In the upcoming paragraphs, I will discuss both views and at last share my own belief.

On the one hand, people believe that choosing friends with mutual interests is a good choice and this helps to build stronger friendships in the long run. For instance, with same interests they will not have mixed views regarding politics or any other game. Because it has been noticed many times that when people talk in relation to politics they end up fighting each other and sometimes even death occur. By having same views and interests this could be easily avoided and this will leads to strong bonding between them.

On the other hand, people argue that there should exist disagreement in their opinions while choosing friends. Well, this will bring mixed reactioins, different gestures and could also leads to be positive growth between eachother. For instance;

Not everytime one has to agree with other person views. Sometimes one has to act and correct the other individual if they are heading towards the wrong direction. This is called constructive feedback which is esssential for the overall growth.

In the end, I would like to conclude that both types of friendship is significant in one's life and would lead each other towards higher milestones in their lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both perspectives and state a clear overall view: “there should be a balance for both type of friends.” The first side is supported with the idea that shared interests can avoid conflict, while the second explains how disagreement can provide constructive feedback. However, the discussion is uneven and some claims need fuller explanation. The example about political conversations leading to “even death” is extreme and not developed, and the second-side example ends abruptly after “For instance;” before the point about correcting someone is introduced. Your conclusion repeats the balanced position but does not explain how the two kinds of friendship complement each other. Develop each reason with a more specific, relevant example and make your position more fully reasoned.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the contrast, and the main ideas can generally be followed. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical or unclear. The opening promises that you will discuss both views and give your belief “at last,” which is unnecessary, and “Because it has been noticed many times” creates a fragment-like transition from the preceding sentence. The second-side paragraph is interrupted by “For instance;” and the following sentence, making the example difficult to follow. Use clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and avoid announcing the essay’s structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “mutual interests,” “opposite views,” “constructive feedback,” and “overall growth.” These phrases show an attempt to express more than basic opinions. However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive, which limits precision: “mixed reactioins” does not clearly express the intended idea, and “higher milestones” is an awkward phrase in this context. There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “eachother,” “esssential,” and “reactioins.” Choose more natural expressions and check spelling carefully. Replacing repeated references to “views” and “interests” with precise alternatives would also make the discussion more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “While other believe…” and a conditional structure in “if they are heading towards the wrong direction.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction remain noticeable. Examples include “other believe” and “friends who has,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “this will leads,” where the verb form is incorrect. “Because it has been noticed many times…” is not a complete sentence in its current position, while “sometimes even death occur” has an agreement error. Work on matching verbs to their subjects, using articles and plurals consistently, and joining dependent clauses to complete sentences.

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