Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

People having a lot of money can bring happiness to others as they think but been realistical in analyzing this, you will find out money can not make anyone happy for life. Inasamuch money can buy so many things like properties, cars, be a traveling catalyst that can fly you anywhere in the world, money can never buy life.

I remember in the year 2020, the Covid year, when the world was totally shut down. As at then, money was useless because movements was restricted, transportation networks was closed, supermarkets were not functioning and even to visit the hospital was also inaccessible. that year though almost everyone that no matter how wealthy you are, your riches can not buy freedom.

Also in that same year, i lost my dad which was a traumatizing period for me and my famil and despite the whole money we spent trying to revive him, giving him that health stability, it was a fruithless outcome because he passed out after all we did trying to bring him back. The moral lesson of this story is to further buttress the fact that money can not make you happy.

However; the ture happiness comes from the realization that you are actually contributing to nation building, impacting and chaning lives through public speaking and empowering the poor people.

In addition, in the year 2024, i got a special recognition from my work place of my selfless service and that actually brought so much joy, fulfillment and satisfaction to me. It made me realize the importance of kindness in every little way. This, can not be bought with money.

In conclusion i strongly recommend we should practice more on what brings true happiness and accomplishment rather than focussing on things like money.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear overall view that money cannot guarantee lasting happiness, and the examples of your father’s death and recognition at work make the response personal and relevant. You also address both questions to some extent: the opening mentions what money can buy, while later paragraphs identify service, kindness and recognition as other sources of happiness. However, the first question is not fully explored: explain more directly how wealth may bring happiness, for example through security, choice or helping family, before discussing its limits. Some claims, such as money being useless during the pandemic, are broad and need qualification. Develop the contrast between financial comfort and non-financial fulfilment more evenly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for personal examples and a concluding recommendation. Time markers such as “in the year 2020” and “in addition, in the year 2024” help readers follow the examples, and “However” signals a shift in focus. At times, though, connections are mechanical or unclear. The paragraph about the pandemic and your father’s death could be divided or linked more explicitly, since they make related but distinct points. The conclusion repeats the general position rather than drawing together the two sources of happiness. Use clearer references and transitions to show how each example supports your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt some topic-appropriate and expressive vocabulary, including “traumatizing period,” “selfless service,” “fulfillment,” and “satisfaction.” These choices help communicate personal experience and the idea of purpose. However, a number of inaccurate or unnatural expressions make parts of the response difficult to interpret, such as “been realistical in analyzing this,” “a traveling catalyst,” and “giving him that health stability.” Spelling and word-form errors, including “fruithless,” “ture,” and “chaning,” also reduce precision. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling carefully; simpler, accurate wording would be more effective than unusual phrases whose meaning is unclear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “no matter how wealthy you are” and a longer sentence describing the pandemic. However, complex sentences are often difficult to control, and errors sometimes obscure meaning. For example, “People having a lot of money can bring happiness” has an unclear subject, while “movements was restricted” and “transportation networks was closed” show subject–verb agreement problems. Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention: “that year though almost everyone…” begins with a lowercase letter and lacks a clear grammatical connection to the preceding sentence. Practise building shorter, complete sentences first, then add subordinate clauses with accurate agreement and punctuation.

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

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