Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-07-31

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some societies, stress is now regarded as a major problem, and it is thought that people suffer from more stress than they did in the past. However, others feel that the amount of stress people have today is exaggerated. They say that previous generations were under more pressure, but the idea of suffering from stress did not exist.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Globally, stress is now recognized as a major challenge, and it is believed that individuals bear more stress now as compared to the past. Nevertheless, another group of people think that stress is overstated in the contemporary era. They argue that previous generations were under more strain, but they were unfamiliar with the concept of stress. I completely agree with the first stance.

On the one hand, proponents say that individuals suffer from more stress now. Today, the world has become so much busier. There is a dramatic reduction in the time period of rest among people. People have to work longer hours as compared to people in the past in order to run their family. Also, pressure in each field has increased due to intense competition. For instance, a jobholder is given more work than how much they are payed for, which causes stress.

On the other hand, opponents explain that there was more stress in the past. Ancestors had to work day and night in fields for crop production in severe weather conditions. There were no machinery for them which can complete their multiple works. The only thing is that they did not know what the term ''stress'' is. For example, my ancestors had to invest their whole day in fields during the season of crops without resting for a single time.

In my opinion, also people in the past have to work very hard but they had faced less pressure of work and study as compared to us due to rise in competition in every aspect of life success.

In conclusion, there is debate over stress rate in past and present. Some say that ancestors said that they faced more pressure as they did not have technology to help them and some says that stress is rate is higher currently due to rise in contention. I believe that stress is more common in modern time as I faces that in my academic life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of modern competition versus historical physical labor. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding modern stress is supported by general statements about long hours, but could be strengthened with more specific, nuanced examples. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and the personal opinion in the final paragraph is slightly underdeveloped. Overall, the response meets the requirements of the task but stays at a surface level of analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical, and there are instances where the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition between the discussion of ancestors and the personal opinion in the fourth paragraph is abrupt. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences feel slightly disjointed due to repetitive sentence structures. Overall, the logical progression is sufficient for a Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'contemporary era', 'intense competition', and 'crop production'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'time period of rest' instead of 'leisure time' or 'stress rate' instead of 'levels of stress'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. More precise and varied vocabulary would enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some successful complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'There were no machinery' (subject-verb agreement), 'how much they are payed for' (spelling/passive voice), and 'I faces that' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is generally functional, but the errors in grammar are noticeable throughout the text. Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear, and the reader is not significantly hindered. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb tense usage.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.