Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-12

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

The position of women has changed a great deal in many societies over the past 50 years. But these societies cannot claim to have achieved gender equality

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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

Student answer (Band 7.5)

Over the past half-century, the socio-economic status of women has evolved substantially across the globe. While women have gained unprecedented access to education and the workplace, I largely agree that true gender equality remains unachieved due to persistent wage gaps and domestic imbalances.

On the one hand, notable progress has been made regarding women's rights and professional opportunities. Fifty years ago, women in many countries were largely confined to domestic roles and faced severe legal and cultural restrictions. Today, female literacy rates have surged, and women hold high-ranking positions in politics, corporate management, and science. For instance, countries such as New Zealand and Germany have seen female heads of state who led their nations successfully. Furthermore, strict anti-discrimination laws now protect female employees in most developed and developing nations, allowing women to pursue financial independence.

Nevertheless, genuine parity has not yet been realized, primarily because systemic disparities endure. The most prominent example is the gender pay gap: even in advanced economies, female workers are frequently paid less than their male counterparts for the same job. Additionally, the "glass ceiling" continues to restrict women from occupying top executive positions in Fortune 500 companies. Beyond the workplace, traditional domestic expectations remain largely unchanged. Working women often bear the burden of the "second shift," handling the majority of unpaid household chores and childcare duties, which restricts their career progression.

In conclusion, although the social standing of women has improved dramatically over the last 50 years, full gender equality is still an ideal rather than a reality. Until societies resolve pay disparities and share domestic responsibilities equally, true equality cannot be claimed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task, presenting a well-developed position that agrees with the statement. The writer introduces a clear viewpoint in the introduction: 'I largely agree that true gender equality remains unachieved due to persistent wage gaps and domestic imbalances.' Each body paragraph thoroughly extends and supports these ideas with relevant examples, such as female heads of state in New Zealand and Germany, the gender pay gap, the 'glass ceiling' in Fortune 500 companies, and the 'second shift' burden. The arguments are logically structured and directly answer the prompt without any wandering off-topic. All requirements of the task are met proficiently, aligning closely with the Band 8 descriptors for task response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

Ideas are logically sequenced and progress naturally throughout the essay. The response is divided into four well-defined paragraphs that follow a standard, effective structure. Cohesive devices are managed skilfully and unobtrusively, as seen with transitional phrases like 'On the one hand', 'Nevertheless', and 'In conclusion'. Furthermore, referencing and substitution are handled smoothly; for instance, 'the most prominent example' clearly links back to the idea of systemic disparities. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct sub-topic (introduction, progress, ongoing disparities, conclusion). The overall progression is clear, meeting the criteria for a strong Band 8 performance.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The writer demonstrates a wide, fluent, and flexible range of vocabulary suitable for an academic essay. Uncommon lexical items are used skilfully and with good awareness of collocation and style, such as 'socio-economic status', 'unprecedented access', 'systemic disparities', 'gender pay gap', and 'career progression'. Word choice is precise throughout the response, enabling the writer to convey complex ideas effectively. There are no noticeable spelling or word-choice errors, and expressions like 'the second shift' show an ability to use idiomatic academic concepts accurately. This performance satisfies the criteria for Band 8 in lexical resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The response exhibits a wide range of complex structures used with a high degree of flexibility and accuracy. The majority of sentences are completely error-free, and complex forms are constructed naturally, such as 'While women have gained unprecedented access to education and the workplace, I largely agree that...' and 'even in advanced economies, female workers are frequently paid less than their male counterparts for the same job.' Punctuation and grammatical control are handled exceptionally well throughout the text. The occasional minor slips that characterize a Band 8 essay are absent here, making this a very strong grammatical performance that approaches the top bands.

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