Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-25

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 fast-paced life, friendship plays a crucial role in the transformation of a person's single life into a meaningful one. Nowadays, a fair amount of people believes that it's better to select a friend who always have the same opinions as them.But,others think that it's good to have friends who have a different opinion from us.In this essay, I will discuss both these views and state my opinion in a proper manner

The first and foremost fact is that some people think that choosing friends with same opinion is better to lead a good friendship with them. It's because they believe that if two people have same findings related to a difficult or easy matter they can easily find a solution to that problem within seconds.As a result, it will create a undisturbed environment between them.For example,In the case of new startups,if the two co-founders have same ideas and knowlege related to a business will help them to achieve progress and gain compliments on succeding that firm. Secondly, selecting friends who have same opinions help us from problem-solving and relieves from stress and strain in our life.

However,a fair amount of people believe that it's good to have friends who sometimes disagree with us.It's because they believe that they help us in the form of mentors.Following this,if our friend have any disagreement in our opinion, it's because sometimes our opinion makes any mistakes knowingly or unknowingly. So, they help us to overcome sudden problems in our life.Apart from this,we get a chance to clear any doubts if we have any fear to talk with others.For example, my friend Renu is my friend with disagreements. But she helped me while taking my decision related to career.she is a good mentor for me.

In conclusion,some people think that it's better to select friends who always have the same opinions as us,but others think that having friends with disagreements in opinions is good. In my opinion,both are good.But a friend who disagree in some extents with your opinion should be good. It's because they can correct us if we are wrong.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and give a personal position: you explain why shared opinions may make cooperation easier, then argue that friends who disagree can act as mentors and correct mistakes. The startup example and your experience with Renu make the discussion relevant. However, the ideas are only partly developed. For instance, the claim that friends with similar views solve problems “within seconds” is asserted rather than explained, and the benefits of disagreement could be explored beyond correcting errors. Your conclusion says both types are good, but then favours a friend who disagrees “in some extents”; clarify the balance and conditions behind this preference. More explanation of each view and a consistently precise position would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “However” and “In conclusion” help signal the change in direction, and examples are placed with the relevant arguments. Nevertheless, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several points are joined without clear explanation. For example, the paragraph about disagreement moves from mentorship to mistakes, sudden problems, and fear of talking to others, without showing how these ideas connect. Linking phrases such as “Following this” are also used mechanically or unclearly. Develop one main point at a time, explain the relationship between claims, and use clearer referencing so the reader can follow the argument more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “opinions,” “problem-solving,” “mentors,” and “stress and strain,” and you attempt more formal expressions such as “plays a crucial role.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. Examples include “same findings related to a…matter,” “undisturbed environment,” and “gain compliments on succeding that firm.” Spelling errors such as “knowlege” and “succeding” also affect accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations rather than elaborate phrases: for example, describe people as sharing “similar views,” and say a business can “succeed” or “make progress.” This would make your ideas clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if two people have same findings…they can easily find a solution” and clauses beginning with “because.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to process. Examples include “a fair amount of people believes,” “a friend who always have,” “if our friend have,” and “a friend who disagree,” where subject–verb agreement is incorrect. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention: “a undisturbed environment” and the run-on punctuation in “seconds.As a result” are examples. Practise checking agreement, articles, and punctuation, and build complex sentences with a clear main clause before adding further ideas.

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