Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

At the present time, the population of some countries includes a relatively large number of young adults, compared with the number of older people.

Do the advantages of this situation outweigh the disadvantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In recent years, in many countries the population of younger people is more than older people. I believe advantages significantly more than the disadvantages. The main reasons of this is digitalisation and healthcare cost.

On the one hand, the benefit of having more young people in country is knowing digital world and machinery. Older people don't know much about artificial intelligence and many other digital tools. For example countries with successful in artificial intelligence have more young citizens and know how to drive it. In addition another benefit is government don't need much budget for healthcare cost. It is not often time young people get sick and government would not spend any larger budget on healthcare unlike older people they get sick quite often and and it make burden on government.

On the other hand, despite some benefits there are also drawbacks of having large younger population compare to older. Younger citizens can might be lack on experiences in fields of arts, cultural and many more. For instance they experience they can get from older people they can't from any AI or same age colleague.

In Conclusion, there are benefits of having younger population than older like younger people can operate digital things with more flexibility and also cost effective in healthcare unlike older citizens expensive in healthcare and also have drawbacks like younger people can't get experience with same colleagues as they can get with older population

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you believe the advantages of a younger population outweigh the disadvantages, and you identify digital skills and lower healthcare spending as benefits. You also acknowledge a drawback, namely that younger people may lack experience. However, the response addresses the question only partially because these points are asserted rather than sufficiently explained or supported. The example about countries succeeding in artificial intelligence is broad and does not show how a youthful population produces that success; the healthcare point also needs qualification. The disadvantage is mentioned briefly but not developed. The response is 12 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to explain your reasoning. Add specific examples and explain how each point affects society.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The contrast signalled by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” helps readers follow the main direction. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, and several ideas are joined mechanically with “In addition” and “also.” The conclusion repeats the earlier points rather than drawing them together, and its long final sentence makes the relationship between the ideas less clear. Some references are also difficult to follow, such as “they experience they can get from older people.” Develop one point at a time, use clearer referencing, and make the conclusion a concise restatement of your judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “digitalisation,” “artificial intelligence,” “healthcare cost,” and “burden on government.” These choices show an attempt to discuss technology and public spending, but the overall range is limited and some word combinations are inaccurate or unclear. For example, “knowing digital world,” “successful in artificial intelligence,” and “cost effective in healthcare” do not express the intended ideas naturally. Repetition of “older people,” “young people,” and “benefit” also restricts precision. Aim to use accurate collocations and vary references to the two age groups. The suggestions below offer more natural alternatives, but check that each replacement fits the meaning of the sentence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a contrastive structure beginning “despite some benefits.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. Examples include “the main reasons of this is,” “government don't need,” and “it make burden,” where agreement and sentence construction are faulty. The sentence “Younger citizens can might be lack” combines incompatible modal and verb forms, while the final sentence runs on and lacks clear punctuation. Practise building accurate subject–verb patterns and use one modal construction at a time. Shorter, carefully checked sentences would improve clarity while you gradually add more complex structures.

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