Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-23

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 4.0)

Nowadays, choose friends has become an important issue. Some people believe that choose friends who always have the same opinions. While others believe that it is good to have friends who sometimes disagree in some situations. In my opinion, I strongly believe that friends have different opinions in some cases because it is create positive relationship and also find a good way in some point of life.

One major reason is that . This is because []. For example, []. As a result, []. Therefore, [].

Another important reason is that []. In addition, []. For instance, []. This can help [] to []. As a result, [].

Some people may argue that []. This is mainly because []. However, I believe that [] because [].

In conclusion, although []. I believe that []. This is mainly because [] and [].

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 141 words. Furthermore, the content is largely incomplete, as the student has used placeholders like '[]' instead of developing arguments. While the introduction attempts to address the prompt and states a position, the body paragraphs are entirely undeveloped, meaning the task is not addressed in any meaningful way. To achieve a higher band, the student must provide full, coherent arguments and relevant examples for each side of the debate, ensuring the essay is fully fleshed out rather than using templates or placeholders.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The essay uses a basic paragraph structure, but because the content within the paragraphs is missing, there is no logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'One major reason is that' and 'In conclusion' are present, but they are used mechanically to introduce empty sections. The lack of actual content makes it impossible to assess the flow of ideas or the effective use of referencing. To improve, the student needs to write complete sentences and paragraphs that logically connect to the central thesis, ensuring that ideas are linked naturally rather than relying on structural templates.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very limited and repetitive. Phrases such as 'choose friends' and 'have the same opinions' are basic and lack the sophistication required for higher bands. There are also grammatical errors in word choice, such as 'it is create positive relationship', which should be 'it creates a positive relationship'. Because the essay is incomplete, the range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate any flexibility or precision. The student should focus on learning collocations and synonyms related to social relationships and personal opinions to expand their range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The grammatical range is very limited, consisting mostly of simple sentence structures. There are frequent errors, such as the incorrect use of 'choose' instead of 'choosing' in the opening sentence and the faulty construction 'it is create'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the lack of complex sentence structures prevents a higher score. To improve, the student needs to practice using a variety of complex structures, such as relative clauses and conditional sentences, while ensuring that basic subject-verb agreement and verb forms are accurate.

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

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