Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-20

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 6.0)

People have different views over whether the current communities eperience more stress than their ancestors even though the latter live in hard situations. In my opinion, I would argue that, nowadays, individuals are affected by stress due to the fact that they live in a complex and populated societies. Nevertheless, in the past people used to live in small tribes and minor cohorts which make them manage their life more easily.

There are two main arguments why people in the past did not feel any stress in their life. First of all, the majority of them lived in a village or a small community where everything is expected and there is no pressure on the job market or any kind of competition. Secondly, our predecessors had a limited number of choices when they would like to take a decision about a matter either where to work, who to marry and so on. Hence, they have a stable and simple life and their future was more clear and determined.

On the other hand, these days the most societies are living in big cities like Madrid in Spain and New York in the united states. The conglomaration of many residents in place make it more difficult for each one to get a job or to go downtown to shop because of traffic congenstion. There is also pollution which aggravate the situation. All these factors and many others lead to a state where people are unable to manage their day to day life. They become angry and stressed as they could not secure their future.

To conclude, although some argue the fact that the cuurent generation are exagerating about being stressed, I feel that there is a great deal of sources that cause stress like the increasing of unemployment and pollution. In the past, people have more managable and easy life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the comparison between modern urban life and historical village life. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding the past is a bit generalised, and the link between modern stressors like traffic and the inability to manage life could be more deeply explored. While the task is fully addressed, the depth of analysis is more consistent with a Band 6.0 or 6.5 level as it lacks a more nuanced exploration of the 'exaggeration' perspective.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'First of all', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing (e.g., 'these days the most societies' is slightly awkward). The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive links rather than relying on simple sequencing markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'conglomaration' (which is misspelled) and 'aggravate'. However, there are several spelling errors ('eperience', 'congenstion', 'exagerating', 'managable') and some awkward collocations ('the most societies', 'a great deal of sources'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the score as they show a lack of precision in word choice and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the most societies are living', 'people have more managable... life') and tense inconsistencies ('they have a stable and simple life' when referring to the past). Punctuation is generally functional, but the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. The writer demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but control over these structures is inconsistent.

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