Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-26
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 commonly believe that a strong friendship can only between like minded people. While many argue to find a friends who has conflict of opinion. In my opinion, it is always wise to choose friends whose moral and ethical value align with yours.
On the one hand, many people believe it is idea to find friends who thinks the same and have a same opinion. They believe it strengthen the friendship and promote loyalty and built trust. For example, it helps to keep the healthy habit if a person and their friends group believes in earning money through hard work and no short cuts such as treading. It help them built a strong positive relationship. Furthermore, it is easy to connect with like minded people and share the important events of the life considering they will understand the depth of the situation.
On the other hand, many thinks it is necessary to have a friend who sometime disagree and provide you the different perspective. To simplify, if four friends out six decide to go and spend money at gambling but among them two have a different opinion and convince them not to will save the money. Additionally, different point of view can solve big troubles sometime in professional or in personal life.
In conclusion, even though having friends who disagree with your opinion may brings the different perspective. In my opinion, it is always better to select friends who share the same opinion and moral values, it will serve you in a long run by maintaining faithful friendship and built the trust.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example regarding gambling is a bit simplistic and could have been expanded to better illustrate the benefits of diverse perspectives. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments lack depth and nuance, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The conclusion restates the position, but the overall development remains at a basic level throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, some of the transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are instances where the flow is interrupted by grammatical errors. Referencing is generally clear, but the internal structure of the sentences sometimes lacks the sophistication required for a higher band. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the essay is easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks precision. Phrases like 'like minded people' and 'different perspective' are used correctly, but there is little evidence of less common or idiomatic language. There are also some word-choice errors, such as 'treading' (likely meant 'trading' or 'cheating') and 'it is idea' (should be 'ideal'). To improve, you should aim to incorporate more varied synonyms and collocations to express your ideas with greater sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. Examples include 'It is commonly believe' (should be 'believed'), 'can only between' (missing a verb), and 'many thinks' (subject-verb agreement error). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and tense consistency. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of these errors limits the score. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and verb forms would significantly improve the clarity of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.