Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-25

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say the main way to be happy in life is to have a lot of money. How might having a lot of money make people happy? What other things in life can make people happy?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.0)

It is often debated that in the recent era of hustle, people are often focused on earning capital rather than enjoying life joyfully. My thoughts incline towards the significance of money factor as it's merits outweighs the potential drawbacks.

To commence, luxary is one of the greatest aspect of happiness. Having the currency not only allows you to explore wide rage of facilities that can be owned, but also provides you with confidence to walk amongst people who are your role models. Also, vacations procure delightfullness within families and not being able to afford one, favours resentment and stress.

Admittedly, this development is not without its disadvantages. One is more prone to end up spending cash into casinos and lotteries, eventually leading to addiction. Conversely,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 125 words long. This significantly impacts the ability to fully develop ideas. While the essay attempts to address the prompt by discussing the role of money in happiness and mentioning potential drawbacks, the second part of the prompt—asking for other sources of happiness—is completely unaddressed. The essay is incomplete and cuts off mid-sentence, which prevents a clear position from being established or maintained. To improve, you must ensure you address all parts of the prompt and provide sufficient supporting details to meet the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay shows some attempt at logical organization through the use of linking words like 'To commence' and 'Admittedly'. However, the abrupt ending and the lack of a concluding paragraph severely disrupt the flow and coherence of the response. Paragraphing is present, but the development within those paragraphs is truncated. The progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete nature of the text, making it difficult to follow a clear argument. To improve, focus on completing your thoughts and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence followed by supporting evidence and a logical conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary range is limited and contains several errors in word choice and spelling. For instance, 'luxary' is misspelled, and 'wide rage' should be 'wide range'. Phrases like 'procure delightfullness' are unnatural and demonstrate a lack of control over collocation. While the student attempts to use some academic vocabulary such as 'merits' and 'drawbacks', the overall lexical control is insufficient to convey ideas with precision. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and proofreading for basic spelling errors to ensure your writing sounds more natural and professional.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'it's merits outweighs' (subject-verb agreement error) and 'greatest aspect' (should be plural 'aspects'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure is often repetitive. The incomplete nature of the final sentence makes it impossible to judge the full range of your grammatical ability. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensure that your complex sentences are constructed accurately without missing components.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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