Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-12

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)

Each one of us has different perspectives in life. Some people prefers friends having the same sentiments with them while other individuals believe it is good to have friends with different opinions. While this is true enough, I believe that having friends with different opinions is beneficial.

Firstly,being friends with a different conviction is favorable as it allow open communication. For instance, a friend advices you to stop drinking alcohol as it is unhealthy. This tells us that a true friend should not tolerate bad behavior and should help in creating positive outcomes.

On the other hand, having friend who is always been supportive through ups and downs can be quite therapeutic. For example, if you commit a mistake, your friend sugar coats and tells you that it's okay to engage in wrong doing as long as you have learned something from it. In this scenario, we can say that having this kind of friend is quite helpful and encouraging.

Overall, neither of this matters as friends can be a great influence to an individual's life. In life, you should choose the right people in your crowd so as to avoid peer pressure and issues. As for me, choosing friend with different upbringing creates a strong bond and connection.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both views and state a clear preference for friends with different opinions, particularly in the opening and final paragraph. The example of a friend advising someone to stop drinking illustrates how disagreement can encourage healthier choices. However, the opposing view is less convincingly explained: the example of a friend who “sugar coats” wrongdoing describes unhelpful approval rather than the value of having a friend who shares your opinions. Your conclusion also says “neither of this matters,” which makes your position less clear than the earlier preference. The response is 209 words, below the required 250, and this limits the space available to develop both arguments. Explain each view more fully and make your final position consistent with your introduction.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. “Firstly” and “On the other hand” help signal the shift between arguments, and the examples generally follow the points they illustrate. However, progression within the paragraphs is brief, and the conclusion introduces a mixed message: “neither of this matters” conflicts with your stated preference for friends with different opinions. Some links between ideas are also unclear, such as how the example of a friend who excuses wrongdoing supports the benefits of shared opinions. Develop each paragraph with a clearer explanation of its example, and use the conclusion to summarise the same position established in the introduction.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “perspectives,” “conviction,” “therapeutic,” and “peer pressure.” These choices show an attempt to move beyond basic wording, and the main meaning is generally understandable. Some less common expressions are not used naturally or precisely: “different sentiments with them” and “different conviction” are awkward ways to describe differing opinions, while “sugar coats” does not clearly convey the intended idea. “Upbringing” also shifts the focus from opinions to background. Aim for more natural collocations and choose words that express the argument precisely. This would make your vocabulary more flexible and accurate without requiring unnecessarily complex terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some more complex forms, including “While this is true enough, I believe…” and the conditional example beginning “if you commit a mistake.” The overall meaning is usually clear, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Some people prefers” has subject–verb disagreement, and “as it allow” should agree with its subject. There are also problems with articles and verb forms in “having friend who is always been supportive.” Punctuation and spacing need attention, as in “Firstly,being” and the extra space in “as friends.” Review agreement, articles, and verb forms, then proofread sentence boundaries and spacing. More accurate control of these patterns would strengthen the response.

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