Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-26

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)

Nowdays, some countries have a large number of young people than older people. This situation has both advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

There are several advantages of having more young people in a country. First, young adults can provide a strong workforce because they are able to work in different jobs and industries. This can help the economy growth. Second, young people can bring new ideas and skills to society. For example, they can use modern technology and create new business. Therefore, a young population can be useful for the development of a country.

However, this situation also has some disadvantages. one main problem is that there may not be enough jobs for all young people. As a result uneployment can increase. Another issue is that the government may need to spend more money on education, housing and other services for a large young population. For example, if many young people are looking for work at the same tim, finfing suitable jobs can become difficult.

In conclusion, havong a large nu,ber of young adults has both positive and negative effects. Although unemployement and presure on public services can be problems, I belive thst the advantages are greater because young people can provide a strong workforce and support economic deveolpment

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of having a large proportion of young adults in a population, and clearly states a personal position that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are relevant, such as economic growth through workforce participation and challenges like unemployment or pressure on public services. However, the development of these ideas is limited, and the response falls short of the required 250-word minimum, containing only 215 words. This under-length impacts the depth of task fulfilment, preventing the score from reaching a higher band. Consequently, a band score of 5.0 is appropriate.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The text is structured into four discernible paragraphs with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing advantages and disadvantages respectively, and a conclusion. There is a basic logical progression from one point to the next. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'Second', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used to signpost the structure. However, paragraphing and referencing are sometimes simplistic or mechanically applied, and there are repetitive phrases. Overall, the organization is coherent enough to follow the writer's argument without difficulty, fitting the descriptors for Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate simple and some extended ideas clearly. There are attempts at less common vocabulary such as 'workforce', 'industries', and 'unemployment'. However, there are noticeable spelling and typographical errors throughout the text, including 'Nowdays', 'economy growth' (instead of economic growth), 'uneployment', 'tim' (instead of time), 'finfing', 'havong', 'nu,ber', 'presure', 'belive', 'thst', and 'deveolpment'. These errors reflect a limited control over spelling and word forms, placing this criterion at a band score of 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if many young people are looking for work...') and subordinate clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical and mechanical errors, such as missing articles, incorrect word forms, and typos that disrupt the flow of sentences (e.g., 'a large number of young people than older people' instead of 'more young people than older people'). Despite these frequent errors, the meaning remains largely clear to the reader. This performance aligns well with the Band 5.0 descriptors.

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