Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-23

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 this modern era, people have many friends those have same interests and hobbies. There is group of people who support the idea of like-minded people in the group. Others give an opposite opinion about this and say having friends with disagreement is good for betterment in life. In following paragraphs, I will discuss its merits and demerits.

On the one hand, people believe that if we are surrounded by people who are exactly like us gives a sense of security and freedom to act naturally. There is no restrictions and boundaries, we can enjoy our wellbeing with no stress and anxiety. Moreover, there are more chances of productivity if you are involved in group activity and official projects. Apart from that, they can share their viewpoint on activity due to having similar interest. You can ask them for their guidance upon the project as per their experince.

On the other hand, there is group of people who criticize this idea because of many reasons, first and foremost, it is believed that if you really want to grow in your field, therefore, it is required to have friends who can criticize you for betterment. For example, a student is given a project to prepare a speech on environment, preparing for speech if he is usually making mistakes so it is very helpful to have friend who show disagreement with you. Eventually, you will learn with a doubt in yourself which is possible only if someone is there to judge you and give honest viewpoint.

In conclusion, having like-minded people in group is important in life, those will support you enjoy life with showing same interests. Friends are also required to inform you about your mistakes and you can learn from them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and give a concluding position that recognises value in both like-minded and challenging friendships. The examples about group projects and a student practising a speech are relevant, and the speech example helps explain how disagreement can support improvement. However, the response does not make your own preference fully clear: the conclusion says both kinds of friends are important without stating which view you favour or why. Some points are also asserted rather than developed—for instance, the claim that similar friends increase productivity is not explained in detail. State your position directly in the introduction and conclusion, then extend each main reason with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the discussion easy to follow. Within paragraphs, however, progression is sometimes mechanical, with several points joined by “Moreover” and “Apart from that” rather than developed through clear links. Some references are also unclear, such as “discuss its merits and demerits,” where “its” does not clearly identify the issue, and “those” in the conclusion. Improve cohesion by linking each supporting sentence explicitly to the paragraph’s main claim and using precise references to people and ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “sense of security,” “productivity,” “criticize,” and “honest viewpoint,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “first and foremost.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “friends with disagreement,” “for betterment in life,” and “learn with a doubt in yourself.” Spelling errors such as “experince” also reduce accuracy. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall argument, but they make some sentences less clear and natural. Focus on learning common word partnerships and checking spelling; for example, use “friends who disagree” and “constructive criticism.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if we are surrounded by people…” and a relative clause in “a student is given a project to prepare a speech.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors occur in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and plurals. For example, “people those have same interests” needs a relative pronoun and article, while “There is no restrictions” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence beginning “For example, a student…” also becomes difficult to follow because several ideas are joined without clear grammatical structure. Practise building accurate complex sentences, and check each sentence for a clear subject and verb, correct articles, and agreement.

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