Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-08
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 5.5)
Nowadays, If we want happy life we need a lot of moeny. Money can make life more comfortable and reduce financial stress, I believe that there are many other important things that can bring happiness.
Having a lot of money it help to people in sevral ways. First of all they can aford good life style. For example: With the help of money people can get anything such as food , house ,car and education. Most of the people struggle for get the good life style entire their life. People if they have a money they can travel anywhere in the word. Which is most of people want in their life.Money can also provide financial security, which means people may feel less stressed about bills, education and unexpected expenses.
However, If they have good relationships with their loveones they are happy as well.Having a satisfying job or doing something meaningful can also give people a sense of achievement. For example, a person who enjoys helping others may feel happy even if they do not earn a very high salary.
In conclusion, having a lot of money can improve people's quality of life and reduce financial worries, but it cannot guarantee happiness. Strong relationships, good health and meaningful activities are also important for living a happy and satisfying life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: how money contributes to happiness and other factors that lead to happiness. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped due to the brevity of the response. For example, the point about 'good life style' is mentioned but not fully explored with specific, nuanced examples. To reach a higher band, you must expand your points with more detailed explanations and personal examples to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive discussion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. There is a logical flow from the benefits of money to alternative sources of happiness. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic and occasionally repetitive. For instance, the transition 'For example' is used twice in a similar manner. Additionally, some sentences are fragmented or lack smooth connections, such as the opening paragraph where the transition between the premise and the thesis is abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring better sentence-to-sentence flow would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on common terms like 'good life style' and 'happy life' repeatedly. There are also some spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'moeny' (money), 'sevral' (several), 'aford' (afford), and 'loveones' (loved ones). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they indicate a need for more careful proofreading and a broader range of vocabulary. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and ensure correct spelling of basic terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Issues include missing articles ('have a money'), incorrect verb forms ('it help to people'), and punctuation errors (spacing before commas). Some sentences are also grammatically awkward, such as 'Most of the people struggle for get the good life style entire their life.' While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors suggests a need for more practice with sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and basic punctuation rules.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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