Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay on Income Limits: Coherence Issues
Sample Answer with Feedback

📅 Published May 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommended📝 251 words · Band 5.5
This Band 5.5 IELTS essay explores the topic of income limits and highlights important issues like coherence and organization. While the essay addresses both views, the lack of clear structure and underdeveloped arguments significantly impacts the overall task response. Learn how to enhance your writing skills by addressing these feedback points.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question

Discuss both views · High Incomes · 40 min


Some people in different countries earn very high incomes. While some people think that this is beneficial for the nation, others believe that the government should limit how much money people can make. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. 

Write at least 250 words.



5.5Band

Overall Band Score

251 words · Discuss both views · AI Evaluated

5.5
Task Response
5
Grammar
6
Vocabulary
5
Coherence

Score Breakdown

IELTS Writing Band Scores (1–9)

Overall Band Score
5.5
Task Response
5.5
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
5
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
6
Coherence & Cohesion
5

Summary: The essay addresses the prompt but lacks depth and clear organization. Arguments are underdeveloped, which affects task response. The use of linking words is limited, impacting coherence and cohesion. Lexical resource is adequate, with some varied vocabulary, but grammatical errors reduce clarity.

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Student Answer
Real submission • 251 words • Annotated
251 wordsBand 5.5WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

I personally feel that people who earn huge amounts of income is a necessity because to survive in this globe requires an enormous amount of money for surviving. Others have a toxic mindset that the government should limit how much money people can make as they are very incapable of earning money and living in poverty line as they are very jealous of rich people and cannot break the cycle of poverty.

It is not necessary that people who are earning high incomes in different countries through different methods along with critical thinking and innovation should contribute to the nation but can help in other forms depending upon the country's circumstances and crisis situations whether it's a financial crisis or any other kind of disasterous situation which occurs depending upon the country and nationality.

I disagree that others believe that the government should limit how much money people can make and until and unless the economy and the country is rich through it's infrastructure, GDP, education along with transportation, strong rules and regulations to follow, employment opportunities as everyone should have the freedom of choice of earning money through different methods as well as through lucrative side hustles.

There is a thing called income tax which comes under direct tax as well as indirect tax, as long as people's incomes are getting deducted but get benefits in return of any class whether it is rich, middle or poor and no discrimination on the basis of their race, sex, color, creed etc.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling · Grammar · Vocabulary · Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

1 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
disasterousdisastrous

Grammatical Mistakes

5 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
people who earn huge amounts of income is a necessitypeople who earn huge amounts of income are a necessitySubject-verb agreement: 'people' is plural and requires 'are'
survive in this globesurvive on this globePreposition error: 'on the globe' is the correct phrase
living in poverty lineliving on the poverty linePreposition error: 'on the poverty line' is the correct phrase
a financial crisis or any other kind of disasterous situation which occurs depending upon the countrya financial crisis or any other kind of disastrous situation that occurs depending on the countryIncorrect relative pronoun and preposition usage
the country is rich through it's infrastructurethe country is rich through its infrastructurePossessive pronoun error: 'its' is the correct form

Vocabulary Improvements

2 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
toxic mindsetnegative perspectiveInformal language; 'negative perspective' is a more formal expression
break the cycle of povertyescape the cycle of povertyCollocation error: 'escape' is the more precise academic term

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Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response5.5
Evaluation
The essay directly addresses the question and provides an opinion, but the arguments lack depth and are not fully developed. Counterarguments are not addressed in detail.
Examples
The essay states opinions on income limits and briefly touches on the importance of income tax.
How to Improve
Develop arguments more fully and provide detailed examples or evidence to support your opinion. Discuss both perspectives thoroughly.
Coherence & Cohesion5
Evaluation
The essay is loosely organized, and ideas are not consistently linked. Paragraphs are not well-structured, impacting overall cohesion.
Examples
Transitions between opinions and supporting ideas are abrupt, such as moving from the importance of high income to a brief mention of taxation.
How to Improve
Use more cohesive devices to link ideas clearly and structure the essay into clear paragraphs with one main idea. Ensure a logical flow between points.
Lexical Resource6
Evaluation
The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, but some phrases are awkward or unclear.
Examples
Terms like 'lucrative side hustles' and 'toxic mindset' show some range but are not well-integrated into cohesive arguments.
How to Improve
Expand your range of vocabulary further and ensure that all vocabulary is appropriate and precise for each context. Avoid repetition and improve the clarity of your expression.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy5
Evaluation
There are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement and sentence structure.
Examples
Errors include 'people who earn huge amounts of income is a necessity' and lack of punctuation affects readability.
How to Improve
Practice constructing grammatically correct sentences and pay attention to subject-verb agreement. Use a variety of sentence structures to improve range and accuracy.
💡
Tip: Review the Band 9 model answer to see how a high-scoring essay structures arguments, uses advanced vocabulary, and maintains coherence throughout.

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