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)
Some individuals believe that it is better to choose friendship with those who always have the same views as them. Other people argue that it is good to have friends who sometimes do not agree with your statement.
On the one hand, it is good to have friends who always agree with your opinion. It can results in strengthening the relationships. Because it can helps in group studies or in the presentation also. For instance, if pupils do group study and they have difficulty while doing mathematics calculation. One friend get a idea for solving it and others also agree with this. As a result, it can provide assistance in resolving the issues and also contributes in better friendships.
On the other hand, it is better to have friends those do not agree with same opinions. It can results in conflicts and better friendships. Two brothers who are doing a family business. Elder brother is very intelligent where as younger brother is creative. They both have different personalities. Sometime they argue related to products that need for their shops. But at the end, they agree with one opinion. In this way, they can reach at conclusion.
In my opinion, I believe it is good to have friends who sometimes do not agree with your statement. In this way, we can learn about our mistakes and it will beneficial for the future. Overall it is good to have friends.
In conclusion, friends are important. They are the people who always present for you and can help in resolving the issues . In this way , we can strengthen our bonds.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address both views and state a clear preference for friends who sometimes disagree, so the response is relevant to the task. The examples of pupils solving a mathematics problem together and brothers discussing their family business help illustrate the two positions. However, the first example mainly shows agreement helping with a task, rather than explaining why choosing friends with similar opinions is beneficial more broadly. The second example suggests disagreement can lead to a decision, but the claim that it creates “better friendships” is not explained. Your opinion that disagreement helps people learn from mistakes is also brief. Develop each reason with a clearer explanation and connect the examples directly to friendship and personal growth.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, your opinion, and a conclusion. “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In my opinion” make the main stages easy to follow. Overall, the ideas are arranged coherently, but progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical or unclear. For example, “It can results in conflicts and better friendships” introduces conflicting effects without explaining their relationship, and the conclusion repeats general points about friends rather than drawing together the discussion. Some references, such as “this” and “they,” could be more precise. Use clearer links between each example and its supporting point, and make the final paragraph summarise your reasoning rather than repeat broad statements.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “opinions,” “relationships,” “conflicts,” and “conclusion.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, which sometimes makes the intended meaning less clear. For instance, “choose friendship with those” is awkward, “do not agree with your statement” does not naturally express differing opinions, and “reach at conclusion” is not idiomatic. Repetition of “good,” “friends,” and “agree” also limits precision. Build a wider set of natural expressions for discussing relationships, disagreement, and learning from others, and check whether verbs and nouns commonly occur together before using them.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, including conditional phrasing such as “if pupils do group study” and a relative clause in “friends who sometimes do not agree.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “It can results” and “it can helps,” where the verb after “can” should be in its base form, and “One friend get a idea,” which has subject–verb and article errors. Sentence fragments such as “Because it can helps…” also weaken control of sentence structure. Practise modal verb patterns, subject–verb agreement, articles, and combining dependent clauses into complete sentences; these changes would make your ideas clearer.
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