Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-30
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 5.0)
It is often argued that it is good to have friends who always have the same ideas as them, whereas others believe that it is far better to have a friend who has opposite mindset. In this essay we will discuss why it is important to choose a friends with same perspectives, as it allows to teamwork without wasting time on arguments. However, having different personality friends will help in expanding the knowledge by arguing on particular topic. Personally, I believe that both types of friends are valuable because they offers different benefits.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The response is significantly under the required word count of 250 words, reaching only 93 words. Consequently, the task is not fully addressed. While you have identified both sides of the argument and stated a personal opinion, the ideas are severely underdeveloped. There is no supporting evidence or detailed explanation for the points mentioned, such as how teamwork is improved or how knowledge is expanded. To achieve a higher band, you must expand each point with specific examples and logical reasoning to meet the minimum length requirement and provide a comprehensive discussion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is presented as a single paragraph, which lacks the necessary structure for an IELTS Task 2 response. While there is a basic attempt at logical progression using transition words like 'whereas', 'however', and 'personally', the lack of paragraphing makes the text feel disjointed. The ideas are introduced but not developed, which hinders the overall flow. To improve, you should organize your essay into a clear introduction, at least two body paragraphs for the two viewpoints, and a conclusion. This will help demonstrate a clearer logical progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is functional but limited. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'always have the same ideas' and 'opposite mindset'. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'choose a friends' (should be 'choose friends') and 'different personality friends' (should be 'friends with different personalities'). The range is insufficient to express complex ideas with precision. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to social dynamics and interpersonal relationships.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains several grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. Examples include 'choose a friends' (plurality error), 'it allows to teamwork' (incorrect verb structure; should be 'allows for teamwork' or 'allows us to work as a team'), and 'they offers' (subject-verb agreement error). The sentence structures are relatively simple, and there is a lack of complex grammatical forms. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and practice using a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses or conditional sentences.
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.