Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-05

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)

Undoubtedly, it is believed by many that; huge money can bring happiness in life, as having planty of expenses; allows luxuary and comfortable lifestyle. However, there are some other ways as well, which contribute to happiness which includes, success and fame.

Financial stability provides access to a luxury lifestyle which involves, cars, machines, roborts and so on. Moreover, they can hire employees for household help. It makes life more easier and comfortable than ever. Additinally, they get more time to enjoy their personal time instead of doing household chores. For an instance, If a rich individual is getting bored at home can make a trip and have enjoyment. Whereas, a poor person have to worry about expenses to even go outside for groceries.

There are some other things which also brings happiness which includes success and fame. Having a success in life makes people happy and proud. when someone get success in bussiness, sports or education etceter, that makes them recognized in society which leads to happiness. for an example, when tesla launch their new model of flying car Elon Musks looks much happier as its a moment of proud for him. Thus, achievements and recognition in society also results into happiness.

In conclusion, although money provides happiness by making life easier and comfortable, other reasons of happiness cannot be ignored which includes life achievements and recognitions.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: money is linked to comfort, household help and leisure, while success and recognition are offered as other sources of happiness. The examples about taking a trip and achieving success in business, sport or education help make the response relevant. However, the ideas are only partly developed: the contrast between a rich person and a poor person is broad, and the Tesla example is not clearly explained as evidence of happiness. The response also does not meet the required minimum length, so there is limited space to explain the reasons and examples fully. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation and a more specific, credible example, while keeping your position consistent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph about money, one about other sources of happiness, and a conclusion. This makes the main progression easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Additionally,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. To make the organisation more effective, avoid relying on formulaic transitions and improve the links within paragraphs. For example, the shift from household help to the rich person taking a trip is understandable but abrupt, while the comparison with a poor person could be connected more explicitly to the point about financial security. Some references, such as “that” in the success paragraph, could also be made more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “financial stability,” “luxury lifestyle,” “household chores,” “achievements,” and “recognition.” These choices communicate the main ideas and show attempts to use topic-specific language. However, spelling errors and inaccurate or unnatural word choices are noticeable, including “planty,” “luxuary,” “roborts,” and “Additinally.” Some phrases are also imprecise or repetitive, such as “have enjoyment” and repeated use of “happiness.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, and choose vocabulary that expresses the intended idea precisely. Proofreading and using a dictionary to check unfamiliar words would help make your meaning clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a contrast with “Whereas” and a conditional example beginning “If a rich individual…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles and punctuation sometimes make the reader pause. Examples include “It makes life more easier,” “a poor person have to worry,” and “Having a success in life makes people happy”; these need more accurate comparative, verb-agreement and article forms. Capitalisation and punctuation are also unreliable, as in “when tesla launch” and the semicolon after “that” in the opening. Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and verb, correct agreement, and appropriate punctuation.

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

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