Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-18
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)
Nowadays, some countries have more young people than older people. This situation has both advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because young people can help the economy and bring new ideas.
Young people can work more easily. They may have more skills and abilities to perform various tasks in the workplace. For example, people may work in schools, colleges, hospitals and businesses.
Another advantage is having more young adults. People can bring fresh ideas and innovative technological techniques. For example, students may perform experiments by applying different technological approaches in businesses and projects.
The foremost benefit is that the government can spend less money on pensions because they may have to provide financial support to older people to maintain their financial stability. As a result, the government can spend this money on educational institutions and hospitals to provide better facilities in the future.
One of the disadvantages is that young people may face unemployment. They may face difficulties in finding suitable jobs in organisations.
In conclusion, having more young people can cause problems such as unemployment and pressure on education. However, I believe the advantages outweigh the disadvantages because young people can provide a strong workforce, bring new ideas and help the country develop.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the advantages and disadvantages of having a young population, taking a clear position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas such as economic contributions, fresh technological ideas, and reduced pension spending are introduced. However, the development of these ideas is limited, and the text suffers from being under-length at only 209 words, failing to meet the minimum requirement of 250 words. This necessitates a penalty under Task Achievement. While the core arguments are relevant, they remain somewhat underdeveloped and repetitive, which prevents the score from reaching higher bands. To improve, the student must ensure they write at least 250 words and expand each supporting point with deeper explanation and specific real-world examples.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a basic logical organisation with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing specific points, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised, although the paragraphs are quite short. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'For example', 'Another advantage is', and 'In conclusion'. However, the referencing and flow can be mechanical and repetitive, with several sentences starting in a similar structure (e.g., 'Young people can...'). There is an overall logical progression, but the lack of sophisticated cohesive links and the brief nature of the paragraphs cap the coherence score. Better use of referencing and transitional phrases would enhance the flow between sentences and paragraphs.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate basic ideas about the economy, education, and employment. Words like 'innovative', 'technological', 'unemployment', and 'financial stability' are deployed successfully. However, the lexical range is rather limited and repetitive, with phrases like 'young people' and 'advantages' recurring frequently throughout the essay. There are minimal spelling or word-choice errors, meaning communication is never impeded. To achieve a higher band, the student needs to incorporate a wider range of less common lexical items, precise paraphrasing, and more sophisticated collocations related to demographics and socio-economic topics.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer demonstrates control over simple sentence forms and attempts some complex structures, such as 'because they may have to provide financial support to older people to maintain their financial stability'. Grammatical accuracy is generally high in the simpler sentences, and punctuation is handled correctly. However, the range of grammatical structures is limited, and the sentences tend to follow straightforward subject-verb-object patterns. There are very few glaring grammatical errors, but the lack of structural variety and the brevity of the text restrict the score in this category. Incorporating a greater variety of subordinate clauses, passive forms, and conditional structures would strengthen the grammatical profile.
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.