Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-10

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)

Some would argue that having friends who have similar mindset to them is a better choice, while others say that it is beneficial for people when their friends go against them during some conversation. While there are minimum risk of conflicts between both the friends who have same thinking, it should not be possible that one person is always correct so having friend with different opinion can give the other person better advice regarding particular thing.

On the one hand, undoubtedly, there should not be the possibility for any conflict activities among the people who's friends have exactly the same opinions. These days people breaks their long term friendship due to minor conflict as their mindset does not match so they prefer to move on with their own choice rather than patchup with their friends. Consequently, having peer with similar interests and opinions assists them to enjoy their healthy relation. For example, some people spend less time to plan their hollyday with their friends as they have same understanding about the locations as compared to those who have their peers with different opinions. However, I beleive that this would increase the over-confidence among people inspite they have negative ideas about something.

On the other hand, there are many cases where having genuine friend but with different thinking can be life changing for some people. Some people have aggresive behavior and they never want to tolerate people who are against them, if their close friends have patience so they can handle the situation which could be cover

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You introduce both perspectives and give a personal view, especially when you argue that friends with different opinions can offer better advice. The discussion of similar-minded friends is also relevant, with the example about planning holidays. However, the response only partially develops the task: the second viewpoint is cut off at “which could be cover,” so its explanation and supporting example are incomplete, and your own position is not maintained clearly throughout. The claim that agreement can increase “over-confidence” is promising but needs explanation. To strengthen the response, complete both sides with specific reasons and examples, then state your opinion clearly in the introduction and conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has an identifiable introduction and separate paragraphs beginning “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” so the reader can recognise the two sides being discussed. You also use connectors such as “Consequently” and “For example.” However, progression is limited: the first body paragraph shifts from conflict to holiday planning and then over-confidence without fully explaining the links, while the final paragraph ends mid-idea. Some linking is awkward or repetitive, and references such as “them” and “their” are not always immediately clear. Organise each paragraph around one main point, explain how each example supports it, and finish with a conclusion that brings the discussion and your opinion together.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related expressions, including “similar mindset,” “minor conflict,” “healthy relation,” and “life changing,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. There are also noticeable problems with word choice, collocation, word forms, and spelling, which make some phrases unnatural or unclear: “conflict activities,” “patchup,” “hollyday,” and “aggresive behavior” are examples. “Go against them” is also less precise than language describing disagreement. Build accuracy by learning common word partnerships and checking spelling, and choose vocabulary that expresses the intended relationship precisely. This would make your ideas easier to follow while retaining the range you are attempting.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt complex sentences, including the opening contrast with “while” and the conditional idea beginning “if their close friends have patience.” However, these structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make parts of the response difficult to read. For example, “there are minimum risk” has an agreement problem, and “people breaks” uses an incorrect verb form. The sentence beginning “Some people have aggressive behavior” becomes incomplete at “which could be cover,” leaving the meaning unfinished. Articles and sentence construction also need attention, as in “having friend with different opinion.” Practise building complete sentences with accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and clause boundaries, then proofread each sentence for completeness.

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.