Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-20

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)

Many individuals think that they should select those people as a friend who have always same perspectives as themselves, while others thinks their friends sometimes oppose their actions and it is good for them. From my perspective, friends should sometimes disagree with my decisions, if something is not good for me they should not encourage me regarding those decisions.

Having a same thinking friend is such a blessing. The reason behind this is they understand you better more than others. Moreover, you can discuss any issue with them without any fear of judging. Same thinking makes your friendship strong and long-term, you are comfortable with them. Aditionally, they can defend you in your critical situation. Therefore, this view have many advantages.

Secondly, such friend who sometime does not agree with you is also essential. If any person wants genuine opinion from his friend, so he should give correct opinion which should better for him. A true friend helps each other without a fear of someone's mood. It is very important, many time you angry with him but after the bad consequences you value his opinion. A person should say the words which are beneficial for their close ones, even though they are bitter. For example, I have many friends which are same in decision making as mine, but when I am going to take important decision, I always asked with my those friend which I know if this would not be in my favour they will tell me truth.

At the end, I explain both view according to my perspective. Having any true friend is a big blessing. Because no one oppose with the opinions which are good for their friends. Although, sometimes it look bad but everytime this give benefit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear preference for friends who sometimes disagree when a decision may be harmful. The discussion of agreement is relevant: you explain that like-minded friends can understand and support one another. You also develop the value of honest advice, and your example about consulting friends before an important decision helps make this point concrete. However, the first view is explained more fully than it is examined, and some claims—such as that shared thinking makes a friendship long-term—would benefit from explanation. The conclusion is also unclear: “no one oppose with the opinions which are good” seems to suggest agreement, which conflicts with your stated preference for occasional disagreement. Clarifying this distinction and extending the less-developed ideas would strengthen the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. This makes the overall discussion easy to follow, and transitions such as “Moreover,” “Secondly,” and “For example” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by unclear links or abrupt statements. For instance, “It is very important, many time you angry with him” does not clearly connect the importance of honest advice to the reaction that follows. The conclusion also repeats the idea of friendship without clearly resolving your position. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each explanation to the point it supports; vary linking expressions rather than relying mainly on simple sequencing words.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary for discussing friendship and advice, including “genuine opinion,” “critical situation,” “bad consequences,” and “beneficial.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the reader can generally understand your meaning. However, several word combinations and forms are unnatural or imprecise, such as “same perspectives,” “fear of judging,” and “asked with my those friend.” There are also spelling errors, including “Aditionally,” and repeated use of broad words such as “good” and “important.” Aim for more natural collocations and precise expressions, and proofread spelling. This would make your vocabulary more flexible and accurate without changing the ideas you are trying to express.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional and subordinate clauses, as in “if something is not good for me they should not encourage me.” This shows an effort to express relationships between ideas, and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction occur across the response. Examples include “others thinks,” “this view have,” and “I always asked,” where the verb forms do not match the subject or intended time. Some sentences also join clauses unclearly, as in “Same thinking makes your friendship strong and long-term, you are comfortable with them.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement and tense, and separate or connect clauses with appropriate punctuation and conjunctions. More accurate control of these patterns would improve clarity.

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