Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-11
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)
Through different forms of print and digital media, we come across reports that friends are very important for people in their life.One group opines that people should choose their friends who always have the same opinions as them.In a sharp contrast,others believe that it is better to have friends who sometimes disagree with them.After a close scrutiny of both the sides,I would go with the former view.
My stand can be justified with some intresting observations.The most convincing point in this regard is that if their friends have the same opinions as them,they can share their feelings with them.This view exits as they can share their personal talks with them even can share what is going on in their private life.As a result,they feel very comfortable when they talk with their friends and it helps to reduce their stress too.Moreover,my opinion can be bolstered with the fact that if sometime people are in jeopardize,they can asking for help to their friend.By this I mean that they can find outcomes of their problems very easily after talk with their friends.Furthermore,they feel very happy whenever they go outside with their friends and they like to spend time with their friends.
Nevertheless, proponents of the second view state that nowadays people are like to choose friends who sometimes have different opinions with them because they can think out of the box when they talk with their friends.This hypothesis is buoyed in the Idea that they can learn different things.Evenmore,I can not ignore the fact that sometime their life may be in jeopardize if they follow their friend's ideas because sometime they gives wrong opinion to them.A global research in this matter has proven that there are 90% of people from my country who are always prefer to choose their friends who have the same opinion as them.
As far as my opinion is concerned, people should always choose their friends who have same opinion as them because it helps to reduce their stress and they feel very happy whenever they spend time with them.
All in all, future will unfold many surprises for us.The need is to be proactive and plough ahead with optimism.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the argument for choosing friends with similar opinions focuses almost exclusively on 'reducing stress' and 'sharing feelings' without exploring broader social or intellectual implications. The counter-argument regarding 'thinking out of the box' is mentioned but not fully explored, and the inclusion of a 'global research' statistic feels unsupported and slightly irrelevant to the prompt. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced reasons and concrete examples that illustrate the benefits and drawbacks of both perspectives more thoroughly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Nevertheless' to link your points. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural. Additionally, there are issues with referencing; for example, the phrase 'This view exits' is unclear in its reference. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is very brief and does not contribute significantly to the overall flow of the argument. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'very important', 'very happy', and 'very comfortable'. There are also several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'in jeopardize' (should be 'in jeopardy'), 'asking for help to their friend' (should be 'asking their friends for help'), and 'buoyed in the Idea' (should be 'buoyed by the idea'). To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more sophisticated synonyms to express your ideas with greater clarity and impact.
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 flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'they gives wrong opinion'), incorrect preposition usage, and awkward phrasing (e.g., 'people are like to choose'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are missing spaces after periods throughout the text, which affects the presentation. While you attempt complex sentences, they are often marred by errors. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy and proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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