Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-22

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 6.0)

In some countries, the proportion of young people population is more than older people. Although this situation can create some challenges. I believe that the advantages of having young population outweigh the disadvantages.

One advantage is that the young generation can contribute to economic growth. Young people are generally more likely to be physical active and able to work, which means that a country can have a larger workforce. They can contribute to different industries, pay taxes and support the development of the economy. In addition, young people are often more willing to learn new skills and use modern technology. For example, a country have a larger number of young workers may have a greater number of people entering technology-related industries and starting new businesses.

However, having a larger number of young people can create certain problems. One major issue is competition for jobs. If the government and private companies cannot create enough employment opportunities, many young people may remain unemployed. This can also increase pressure on housing and public services. For instance, a rapidly growing young population may lead to greater demand for universities, affordable houses and public transport.

Despite the disadvantages, I believe they can be reduced through effective planning and investments. Governments can improve education and encourage businesses to create more jobs. If young people receive appropriate education and employment opportunities, they can become a valuable resource for their country's development rather than a burden on society.

In conclusion, a high proportion of young adults can pit pressure on employment and public services. Nevertheless, the economic benefits of having a large working-age-population are greater, provided that governments invest properly in education, training and job creation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of a young population and presenting a clear position throughout. The writer argues that the economic benefits outweigh the drawbacks and supports this with relevant ideas such as economic growth, workforce size, and technological adaptability, alongside counter-arguments like job competition and strain on public services. Ideas are extended and supported adequately, meeting the criteria for Band 7. Although some points could be explored with even greater depth to push into higher bands, the overall treatment of the prompt is focused, clear, and thoroughly relevant.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, beginning with a clear introduction, followed by well-sequenced body paragraphs covering advantages, disadvantages, mitigations, and a logical conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'One advantage', 'In addition', 'However', and 'Despite the disadvantages' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, maintaining a cohesive flow from start to finish, which aligns well with a Band 7 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'workforce', 'employment opportunities', and 'technologically-related industries'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors, such as 'young people population' instead of 'young population', 'physical active' instead of 'physically active', and 'pit pressure' instead of 'put pressure'. While these errors do not impede communication, they reflect occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation that prevent the response from achieving a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over conditional structures and subordinate clauses, such as 'If the government and private companies cannot create enough employment opportunities, many young people may remain unemployed.' However, there are several grammatical and punctuation errors throughout the text, including a sentence fragment ('Although this situation can create some challenges. I believe...') and a subject-verb agreement error ('a country have a larger number'). These errors are frequent enough to detract from error-free sentence generation, placing the grammar score firmly at Band 6.

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