Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-05

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)

Stress is a common problem nowadays in modern society and some people think that people faces more stress than they did in the past. However others feel that the amount of depression and stress is exaggerated more in today's society because the people from past were under more pressure, but the idea of feeling and suffering from stress did not exist in that generation. I believe people today experience more stress. Modern lifestyle creates continuous pressure from work, technology and finances. Although previous generations faced difficulties more than today. In coming paragraphs i can discuss both points.

On the one hand, many people think that stress increased because life has become faster and more competitive. Employees often work long hours to earn enough money, while students face pressure to achieve high grades. In addition social media makes people compare themselves with others, which can lead to anxiety and low self confidence. as a result, many people find it difficult to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

On the other hand some people argue that previous generation had more difficult lives. They had fewer job opportunities, lower incomes and limited access to healthcare. Many people also experience wars, poverty and hard physical work. However mental health was not widely discussed at that time so people rarely described their problems as stress as stress. Instead they simply accepted these challenges as part of life.

In opinion although people in the past faced many hardship, modern society creates different kinds of pressure. Financial responsibilities,

busy lifestyles and the constant use of technology make stress more common today.

In conclusion, both generations have experienced stress in different ways. However, I believe that people today suffer from high level of stress because the demand of modern 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 and generally well-developed, particularly the comparison between modern stressors like social media and historical hardships like poverty. However, the development is somewhat brief in places. For example, the explanation of why previous generations did not label their suffering as 'stress' is insightful but could be expanded with more specific examples to reach a higher band. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'In addition,' and 'However' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and punctuation, such as the repetitive 'as stress as stress' in the third paragraph. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'work-life balance,' 'competitive,' and 'financial responsibilities.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional inaccuracies or awkward phrasings, such as 'previous generation had more difficult lives' (should be 'previous generations') and the repetition of 'stress' throughout the text. To improve, you should incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('people faces,' 'previous generation had') and article usage ('the people from past'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing commas and awkward sentence fragments. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining complex sentence structures would significantly improve your score.

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