User-written IELTS example

Writing Academic Task 2 Band 5.0 Example

Original task prompt, user essay, band score, and related examples in the same report workspace.

299 words AcademicTask 2

Task 2

Illustrative target band for this original model answer.

Plan your answer

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Ideas to explore

Link medical research to prevention, diagnosis and treatment, explaining how each can affect people’s health.
Use clean-energy research as an example of science improving daily life while addressing pollution and sustainability.
Acknowledge that basic research may have delayed applications, then connect its support to responsible long-term benefits.

Suggested structure

Introduce a clear degree of agreement and state the main reasons.
Develop one paragraph on direct improvements to health and living conditions.
Develop a second paragraph on science’s role in long-term social challenges and accessible benefits.
Concede the value of basic research, explain how it fits your position, and conclude with a concise summary.

Useful vocabulary & examples

quality of life: A person’s or community’s general well-being and living conditions.
Medical research can improve quality of life by helping people manage illness.
clean energy: Energy produced with less pollution or environmental harm than conventional sources.
Research into clean energy can support more sustainable transport and homes.
evidence-based decisions: Choices informed by reliable findings rather than guesswork alone.
Scientific research can help communities make evidence-based decisions about food and health.
basic research: Investigation intended to expand knowledge, without necessarily having an immediate practical use.
Basic research may lead to applications that were not obvious when the work began.

Task Prompt

The most important aim of science should be to improve people’s lives. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

User Essay Analysis

Review the public answer with report-style highlights.

Band 5.0

Science is all about invention, inovation and experimentation. Some people believe that the primary goal of science is to improve their lives. This essay will argue that, only improving people’s lives is not the most important purpose of science. Science plays a important role to improve people’s life standards. Every invention from pen to an advanced medical machine has been made by scientists and it is useful for treating people. However, I do not completely agree that this should be the main aim. In my view, science should also help us understand the world and discover new knowledge, even when there is no immediate benefit.

First, scientific research can solve serious problems in people’s lives. For example, medical studies help doctors find better treatments for illnesses, while research into farming can produce crops that survive dry weather. These developments can reduce suffering and make daily life easier. Therefore, improving people’s lives is certainly an important purpose of science.

On the other hand, knowledge is valuable even before it is used in practical ways. Scientists study space, animals and the structure of matter because they want to understand how the world works. Some discoveries may not have an obvious use at first, but they can later lead to useful technology. If science only focused on immediate improvements, researchers might not investigate subjects that could be important in the future. It is also important that scientific work is honest and safe, rather than being judged only by whether it quickly makes life more comfortable.

In conclusion, science should improve human life, but I do not think this is its single most important purpose. It should also increase knowledge and explore unanswered questions. A balanced approach allows society to benefit both from practical inventions and from a deeper understanding of the world.

Targeted Improvement Tips

Make your position explicit in the introduction—for example, say that science should improve lives but should not be judged only by immediate practical benefits.

Develop each body paragraph with one claim, an explanation, and a specific example; connect the medical and farming examples directly to quality of life.

Proofread for the article “a/an,” comma placement after linking words, and natural collocations such as “standard of living” and “play a role in improving.”

AI Feedback

Overall Band

5.0

Modest

Words

299

Type

Task 2

Criteria Breakdown

Task Response

5.5 Band

The position becomes clear in “I do not completely agree” and the essay gives relevant reasons on both practical benefits and discovery for its own sake. Examples such as medical research and crops that survive dry weather help develop the response. However, the opening claim that improving lives is “not the most important purpose” is not fully distinguished from being one important purpose. State your degree of disagreement precisely in the introduction.

Coherence & Cohesion

5.5 Band

The response follows a recognisable progression: an introduction, a paragraph on practical benefits, a contrasting paragraph on knowledge, and a conclusion. “On the other hand” clearly signals the shift in argument. Some ideas in the opening are repeated, and “Every invention from pen to an advanced medical machine” is an awkward transition into the discussion. Give each paragraph one main claim and connect the opening more directly to the two body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource

5.0 Band

The answer uses relevant topic vocabulary, including “scientific research,” “treatments,” “structure of matter,” and “immediate improvements.” These phrases make the examples understandable. Some wording is inaccurate or unnatural, notably “life standards” and “a important role,” and “useful” is repeated. Learn collocations such as “standard of living” and “play an important role in,” then vary general words with precise alternatives where appropriate.

Grammatical Range & Accuracy

4.5 Band

There are several clear sentence patterns, including the conditional “If science only focused on immediate improvements” and a contrast using “while.” However, errors such as “a important role” and the unnecessary comma in “argue that, only improving” affect accuracy. “Every invention … has been made” is also an awkward construction. Check articles and punctuation during editing, and practise building sentences with gerunds after prepositions, as in “a role in improving.”

Topic Band Distribution

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Band 5.03 examples

Band 4.03 examples

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