Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-12

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 7.0)

In today's fast paced world, stress has undoubtedly become a major issue in some parts of the society. While some argue that the present generation suffers more from stress than their previous generations, others believe that the increased stress is a hoax and is inflated, with previous generation being under considerably more pressure, just not considering it significant enough to result in sufferings. This essay will discuss both the perspectives before arguing that the recent generations face significant other hardships that were not experienced by the previous generations.

Individuals in the modern-day society are now increasingly facing stress triggers which were not so significant earlier. With the increase in the population of the society and competition for livelihood, unemployment has gone up. Other developments like advent of AI, and globalisation have also resulted in jobs being displaced. Automation has made it cost effective for employers to get mundane and repetitive tasks done by AI thereby replacing manual labour for those tasks. Further, globalisation has resulted in domestic markets failing because they are unable to sustain the constant price cutting by their foreign competitors. Hence, the increased uncertainty around livelihood has led to more stress in people's daily lives these days as opposed to the earlier times.

Others, however, argue that previous generations faced more issues. They just did not have the idea of stress as it is today. People in earlier generations definitely had a lot of responsibilities, especially familial ones. Earlier, people lived in joint families and were obliged to take care of the unit as a whole. This meant that they had less freedom for themselves and all their actions had to be geared towards the benefit of their family, resulting in an ever-present stress to always ensure that there was no deficiency of anything in the household. However, I believe they still had more job security and family support than people of today's generation do. Individuals today even lack interpersonal support as they usually move away from their homes to struggle against job insecurity.

In conclusion, the stress concerns of today's generations are not overstated and are a direct result of developments like globalisation, automation and increased unemployment; issues that were not so sever in the earlier generations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the analysis of modern stressors like AI and globalization versus the familial pressures of the past. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific examples or evidence to support the claim that previous generations lacked the 'idea' of stress, as this is a central point of the opposing view. Overall, the task is fully addressed with a logical flow of arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'While', 'Further', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall clarity of the argument. There is no evidence of mechanical or faulty cohesion; the flow is natural and supports the reader's understanding of the complex topic.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'fast paced world', 'stress triggers', 'cost effective', and 'job insecurity' are used accurately. There is an attempt to use less common lexical items, such as 'hoax', 'inflated', and 'mundane'. While the vocabulary is generally strong, there are minor issues with word choice, such as 'sever' (should be 'severe') and 'sufferings' (which is slightly awkward in this context). However, these do not impede communication and the range is adequate for a high band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay uses a variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional and relative clauses, effectively. Most sentences are error-free, and the control of grammar is strong. Punctuation is generally accurate, though there is a minor error in the final sentence where 'sever' is used instead of 'severe'. The use of complex structures like '...with previous generation being under considerably more pressure, just not considering it significant enough...' shows a good command of grammar. The occasional minor slips do not detract from the overall clarity or the sophisticated nature of the writing.

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