Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-24

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)

Nowadays , money is everything for people . Many indviduals think that money is the only way to live happy .However, there are other lot of ways to get happiness . which will be discussed in further paragraphs.

To start with, there are lot of ways to make life happy but the first and foremost is family . In simple words , if one have a good family and spends quality time with them it makes everyone blissful. Moreover , money can buy things but not a person who loves you without any greed .

Moving to the further reason is healthy lifestyle .

For example if a person is overweight or dealing with obesity it effects mental health which can lead to depression , less concentration and bad sleep . That is why a healty lifestyle is also most important to keep life maintained and greatful .

Money is also a need to survive and with more a person can buy anything and fulfill hobbies , can travel , do whatever wants to do but somewhere others things also have importance in person' s life like well maintained lifestyle , happy family , children and environment and exteras.

At the end , having wealth is not bad it makeseverything easy for indvidual but other things also necessary in one' s life to survive and having happy life

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions: you mention that money can provide goods, travel and the chance to pursue hobbies, and identify family and a healthy lifestyle as other sources of happiness. However, the discussion is brief and the ideas are under-developed. For example, you say money can help people “fulfill hobbies” and “travel,” but do not explain how these experiences contribute to happiness or give a specific example. The point about obesity and mental health is relevant, though its connection to happiness could be made more explicit. Your position—that money matters but is not the only source of happiness—is present, but it is not consistently developed. The response is 22 words below the required minimum; use the extra space to explain and support each main idea.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation: the opening introduces the topic, separate paragraphs discuss family and health, and the final paragraph returns to money and other sources of happiness. Basic signposting such as “To start with,” “Moreover,” and “At the end” helps show the intended sequence. However, progression is not always clear. The standalone sentence “Moving to the further reason is healthy lifestyle” interrupts the paragraph structure, and the final paragraph combines several ideas—money, hobbies, travel, family, children and the environment—without developing their relationships. Some linking phrases are also mechanical or awkward. Grouping the discussion into a clear paragraph about money and another about non-financial sources, with explanations linked logically, would make the response easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “quality time,” “blissful,” “obesity,” “depression,” and “fulfill hobbies.” This gives you a basic range for discussing happiness, health and money. However, the vocabulary is limited and several noticeable spelling or word-choice errors make parts less clear, such as “indviduals,” “healty,” “greatful,” and “exteras.” Some expressions are also unnatural, including “life maintained” and “money is everything for people.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, and avoid repeating broad terms such as “things” and “happy.” More precise vocabulary would help you explain the benefits of financial security and relationships clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, including a conditional idea in “if one have a good family” and a relative clause in “a person who loves you.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence structure, agreement, articles and punctuation. For example, “if one have” should use a singular verb, while “it effects mental health which can lead” needs clearer clause punctuation and structure. The opening also contains a sentence fragment beginning “which will be discussed,” and several sentences run together or have misplaced spaces around punctuation. These errors sometimes make the reader pause to interpret the meaning. Practise building accurate complex sentences and checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb.

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.