Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-31
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 todays generation, choosing friends has become an increasingly common debate. While some people believe that choose friends who always have same opinion as them. Other believe that good friends who sometimes disgaree with them. In my opinion, having friends who should always have support you in you bad and good time.
On the one hand, friendship can not measure with same opinions. This is because even a same ability friends have greater benefits. They can understand eachother feeling easily. Having more fun and enjoy life at a same pace. For example, when someone buying gift for their friend that person know what does he or she like. It would be easy for that person to choose a gift. As a result, that person value what his friend bought for him.
On the other hand, some people believe that it is good to have a friend who sometime disagree with them. This is mainly because that person guide him about what is wrong or right. Therefore, when someone making a mistakes other can save them by not doing it. For instance, both friends preparing for exams. One friend who wants to play but other wants to study. That friend disagree with his opinion doesn't means they are not good friends. Consequently, both respect each other decision.
In conclusion, choosing friends who have same decision respect their choices. Also, have friends who are sometime disagree respect eachother space . In my opinion, if we make a balance between both type of friendship when can call it a friends in need is a friend indeed. It is a great combination of true frienship in their entire life which run lifetime.
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 discuss both views and give a personal position: the first body paragraph presents the benefits of similar opinions, while the second explains how a friend who disagrees can offer guidance. The examples about choosing a gift and deciding whether to study also make the discussion relevant. However, the position is not consistently clear: the introduction says friends should “always have support,” while the conclusion favours a balance without explaining precisely how that resolves the two views. Some ideas are also under-developed; for example, the gift example shows familiarity but does not fully explain why shared opinions make a friendship better. Clarify your central view and extend each main reason with a more direct explanation or example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a coherent overall arrangement, with an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting opposing views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For instance, “As a result, that person value what his friend bought for him” does not clearly follow from the gift example, and “Therefore” and “Consequently” sometimes introduce ideas whose relationship to the previous sentence needs to be made more explicit. References such as “that person” and “that friend” can also be difficult to track. Use clearer links between reason, example, and result, and make pronoun references precise.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “opinions,” “disagree,” “respect,” and “combination,” and phrases such as “a friend in need is a friend indeed” show an attempt to express a broader idea. However, the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors make parts of the response difficult to understand. Examples include “same ability friends,” “same decision,” and “run lifetime”; these do not express the intended meanings naturally. There are also spelling errors such as “disgaree,” “eachother,” and “frienship.” Build a more precise set of friendship-related expressions, check spelling carefully, and choose collocations that clearly convey your point.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including explanations with “because” and examples introduced by “For example.” However, the range is limited, and errors in sentence formation and verb forms are frequent enough to make some ideas hard to follow. For example, “While some people believe that choose friends…” is an incomplete clause, and “when someone making a mistakes” lacks a correctly formed verb phrase. Other examples include “having friends who should always have support you” and “when can call it a friends,” where the sentence structure and agreement are unclear. Practise forming complete clauses, using consistent subject–verb patterns, and checking articles and plurals. Aim for accurate sentences before adding more complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.