Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-01
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)
On the other hand, proponents of the second perspective contend that the concept of stress is overemphasized today. They highlight that previous generations lived through severe conditions such as extreme poverty, wars, and hard physical labor without medical diagnoses. Because psychological awareness and terminology were lacking back then, people simply endured these struggles quietly. From this viewpoint, human endurance has always been tested, but modern vocabulary has merely given a title to an age-old emotional strain.
In conclusion, although past generations experienced immense hardships without calling it stress, modern lifestyles introduce distinct psychological pressures driven by technology and fast environments. Therefore, I believe that while triggers and terminology have evolved, the burden of pressure remains constant across generations.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5
Your response sits at this band primarily because it is significantly under the required word count, containing only 118 words instead of the minimum 250. Because of this severe length shortfall, your treatment of the task is necessarily partial and minimalist. Although you successfully touch upon both views and provide a concluding personal opinion, the ideas remain underdeveloped and lack the breadth, detailed examples, and fully articulated arguments expected at higher levels. To improve this criterion in future tasks, you must ensure you meet the word count requirement by fully exploring each prompt element with extended supporting evidence and comprehensive explanations.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
Your writing demonstrates some clear organisation, opening your excerpt with a logical transitional marker 'On the other hand' and concluding with 'In conclusion'. The flow of ideas between the two provided paragraphs is coherent, and referencing is handled adequately. However, because the text is merely a fragment of a full essay, it lacks an overall progression across multiple body paragraphs, and the use of cohesive devices is somewhat basic and limited. To achieve a higher band in coherence and cohesion, you need to structure a complete essay with a clear introduction, multiple well-developed body paragraphs, and a comprehensive conclusion, ensuring smooth and varied cohesive links throughout.
Lexical Resource: Band 7.0
Your lexical resource is a clear strength in this response. You use a sufficient and appropriate range of vocabulary with good flexibility and precision. You successfully incorporate less common items and show a strong awareness of style and collocation, using phrases such as 'proponents of the second perspective', 'overemphasized today', 'psychological awareness', and 'age-old emotional strain'. Word choices are generally accurate and natural, contributing significantly to the overall quality of the writing. To maintain this high standard across a full essay, continue to integrate topic-specific academic vocabulary and ensure that any future attempts at sophisticated phrasing remain as precise and contextually appropriate as demonstrated here.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.5
You demonstrate a strong command of grammatical structures, producing frequent error-free sentences. Your writing features a variety of complex structures deployed accurately, such as conditional and participial clauses within sentences like 'Because psychological awareness and terminology were lacking back then, people simply endured these struggles quietly.' Control over verb forms, tenses, and punctuation is very good, with no noticeable errors impeding communication. To sustain this excellent level across an entire full-length essay, you should continue to combine simple and complex sentence forms effectively while maintaining your careful attention to grammatical accuracy and punctuation.
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