Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-10

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)

Some people believe that it is better to make friends who share same opinions as them, while others think it is good to disgree with them. The following paragraphs will discuss both perspective before I share my viewpoint.

On the one hand, people often make friends which share same likes and dislikes due to several reasons. The primary reason is that feels comfortable around people who share same thoughts. This is because, it helps people to build trusting relationships and share their feelings and emotions without any hesitation. Another major factor is that people can protect themselves from getting hurt emotionally. Because people like to make friends who are caring, trusting and apprecitate their opinions. Moreover, it is also useful to avoid any disgreement and conflicts.

On the other hand, some people believe that it is good to have friends who disagree sometimes. The important factor is loyality. This is because friends should be loyal who guide you about wrong and right things. Therefore, it is very crucial that they disagree with their friends on their wrong decisions and help them to realise their mistakes. In addition, people share different opinions and taste. Everyones nature is unique and different from others. Therefore, friends can sometimes disagree with each other.

In conclusion, although sharing same thoughts with their friends can be useful , being loyal and trustworthy are the important values that make a friendship long lasting and productive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a personal opinion. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive and lack specific, illustrative examples. For instance, the argument regarding 'loyalty' is introduced but not fully explored with a concrete scenario. To achieve a higher band, you must expand your points with more detailed explanations and ensure the essay meets the length requirement to allow for full development of your ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and the progression of ideas is generally logical. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in the argument. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally imprecise (e.g., 'the important factor is loyalty' lacks a clear link to the previous sentence). Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on common words like 'good,' 'important,' and 'different.' There are also some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'disgree' and 'apprecitate.' To improve, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary and collocations related to the topic of friendship and interpersonal dynamics. For example, instead of repeating 'share same opinions,' you could use 'share a common perspective' or 'hold congruent views.'

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Common issues include missing articles ('share same opinions' should be 'share the same opinions'), subject-verb agreement errors ('feels comfortable' should be 'feel comfortable'), and punctuation issues. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. You should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with articles, pluralization, and verb forms, to ensure your writing is more polished.

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

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