Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-15
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)
In today's day to day life opinion of individuals really matters in every field and aspects . While a section of community believe that it is good to have friends who have same views as ours, others find better to have friends who sometimes denies.In my piont of view it is better to have friends who take stand for truth rather matching opinions.
On the one hand,having friends having the similar idea and views on a particular situation leads to better bonding and coordination . If working on a task in a group and the group partner also thinks and see the situation as you that makes the team work better and more faster.For example, student of medical field might have same idea to tackle an injury or disease to a patient like muscle pain or fracture compared to pharmacist and other old fashioned doctors. In fact , this way of dealing helps in solving problems easily and quicker.
On the other hand, having the friends who sometimes disagree with your point of view may help in solving the problem in one or the other efficient way.Sometimes the disagreement of the other results into better solution to the problem.For instance, during covid19 the state govement of Haryana wants to implement the rule that schools can be operated for the secondary classes,but after the meeting and discussion with the national goverment they denied their opinion to prevent it to viral more.Thus, it results in reducing numbers of covid 19 cases.
In conclusion, although having same approach and opinions may results in speed and better bondings .I therefore believe that having friends who sometimes disagree with the idea results in beter solution sometimes.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on whether to choose like-minded friends or those with differing opinions, and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. For example, the student explores how having similar views helps teamwork and coordination, and conversely, how disagreements can lead to better solutions, supported by the example of COVID-19 regulations in Haryana. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed, with examples that lack depth and precision. The medical and COVID-19 examples are slightly confusingly articulated, resulting in an overall coverage that aligns best with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion appropriately. Logical progression is attempted, and the writer employs basic cohesive markers such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, cohesion is frequently faulty or mechanical. For instance, referencing is sometimes unclear, and punctuation around cohesive markers and clauses is problematic (e.g., 'In fact , this way' and spacing issues around commas). Paragraph transitions lack smooth integration, reflecting the characteristics of a Band 5.5 to Band 6 response. On balance, it sits comfortably at Band 5.5 due to the mechanical nature of the cohesive devices.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as 'coordination', 'disagreement', and 'implementation'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('govement', 'goverment', 'viral', 'beter', 'bondings') and word-choice inaccuracies, such as saying 'denies' instead of 'disagree' and 'to viral more' instead of 'to spread further'. These lexical errors occasionally impede smooth reading, though communication is generally maintained. This falls squarely within the Band 5 descriptor for lexical resource.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional and relative structures ('If working on a task in a group and the group partner also thinks...'). However, frequent grammatical errors are present, including missing articles ('student of medical field', 'state govement'), incorrect prepositions, and awkward subject-verb agreement or tense shifts ('wants to implement' in a past context). These errors can cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 6. Therefore, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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