Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-28

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)

In recent years, there has been a conflict over which generation is exposed to more stressful conditions, the modern or the past, and some have mentioned that it is exaggerated to say that stress has become a severe problem nowadays. Personally, each generation has its own stressful situation that cannot be compared because of its distinct social status and relevant factors. Stress has always been an ongoing problem, and I will clarify my opinions below.

Initially, stress always exists, and it only changes its form due to the generation. In the modern world, it has been worsened as society has become more cutting-edge with new inventions, especially AI, which is the main factor turning stress into a major topic. AI was developed, and at the same time, many rumours have stated that it can replace humans, and the reality is that it actually does. Meta became a hot search after firing thousands of employees and replacing them with AI. Facing the probability of losing a job requires people to be more talented, or they will be eliminated from the job market. This problem not only affects people's mental health but also increases the self-esteem, causing depression.

Although in the past there was no top-notch technology or AI, people still had various worries towards their living conditions. Especially during wars, people kept fighting without knowing the date of peace. Moreover, as there were not enough facilities to serve people's needs, many people did not have educational opportunities, but as the population was low, they still had jobs such as farming, harvesting or constructing. The common details causing stress in both generations are monetary problems, as currently, people are exposed to unemployment, whilst in the past, they had problems with their daily life expenses.

In conclusion, I agree that stress is a major problem currently and happens most among young people, but in the past, stress still existed but in different scenarios.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact of AI on modern job security and the historical context of survival-based stress. However, the development is somewhat uneven; the argument regarding the past is less detailed than the modern perspective. While the position is clear, the conclusion is slightly contradictory, as it states that stress happens 'most among young people,' which was not previously established in the body paragraphs. To reach a higher band, ensure that all claims in the conclusion are fully supported by the preceding analysis.

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 'Initially,' 'Although,' and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the vague use of 'this problem' in the second paragraph, which refers to a complex set of ideas rather than a single noun. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'cutting-edge,' 'job market,' and 'living conditions' are used effectively. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'increases the self-esteem, causing depression'—the logic here is unclear, as low self-esteem usually causes depression, not high self-esteem. Additionally, 'monetary problems' is a bit simplistic. While the vocabulary is adequate for the task, more sophisticated collocations and a wider variety of topic-specific terminology would be required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex forms, such as 'Although in the past there was no top-notch technology... people still had various worries.' However, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'some have mentioned that it is exaggerated to say that stress has become a severe problem' (awkward phrasing) and 'the common details causing stress... are monetary problems' (the word 'details' is incorrectly used here). Despite these errors, the meaning is consistently clear, and the errors do not impede communication.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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