Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-30

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)

A lot of people argue that stress is a major problem in many parts of the world, and it is more prevalent these days than the past years. Whereas many individuals think that the older generations are had to deal with higher amount of stress and pressure, therefore, it was considered normal and could not be categorised as suffering. I support the latter view; however, both perspectives will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Supporters of the first school of thought advocate that with a rapid surge in the complexity of ways of living, stress is much more prevalent among the younger generations. People have to cope with the boost in cost prices of everyday goods to maintain their overall health and lifestyle. For instance, vegetable and fruits are getting expensive these days, which are indespensible part of a healthy lifestyle. Moreover, due to a surge in the competition among individuals to secure a job and to maintain their social life, stress is increasing as a result of the fast-paced lifestyles.

While critics of the aforementioned view, including me, argue that older generations were more social and they had to deal with societal norms and outdated beliefs. As a result, they used to live under high pressure and stress as they have to satisfy both conventional thinking and the traditional norms of the communities. Hence, to live their simple lifestyle, they faced a lot of challenges and they did not consider it as suffering. Hence, the concept of high stress today is exaggerated.

In conclusion, although these days people suffer from stress as a result of their complex lifestyles and a bosst in the competition in various domains of life, I agree that the older generations were under high stress and pressure due to societal norms and traditional thinking. Hence, in my opinion, the concept of stress is often exaggerated.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on modern versus past stress and clearly stating a personal position, which is maintained throughout the response. Ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning the rising cost of everyday goods like fruit and vegetables, and societal norms of older generations. However, there is a minor contradiction in the introduction where the student initially states 'I support the latter view' but later includes themselves among critics of the first view, though the overall stance remains clear by the conclusion. The task is successfully covered, earning a Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: introduction, first viewpoint, second viewpoint, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Whereas', 'For instance', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the multiple uses of 'Hence'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, resulting in a cohesive overall arrangement that supports readability and earns a solid Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'prevalent', 'indespensible' (misspelled as indespensible), and 'fast-paced lifestyles'. There are some noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies, such as 'are had to deal with', 'cost prices', 'vegetable and fruits' (plural agreement error), and 'bosst' instead of 'boost'. Despite these errors, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms and subject-verb agreement, such as 'older generations are had to deal with', 'as they have to satisfy', and 'they faced a lot of challenges and they did not consider'. While these errors do not severely impede communication, they persist throughout the text and prevent the grammar score from reaching higher bands, making a Band 6.0 appropriate.

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