Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-13

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some countries, it can be very difficult for people over the age of 50 to get good jobs, despite their experience.

What do you think are the causes of this problem, and what measures could be taken to solve it?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In many countries, it can be very difficult for elder people above the age of 50 to get reputed jobs, despite their experience. This situation creates several challenges such as financial pressure and negatively affects productivity of tasks, but there are effective measures like as changes in the companies policy and financial support to elder people are taken to overcome it.

One of the major problem is financial pressure created on elderly people. This is because if a person above the age of 50 years does not get a good job, then it will negatively affects their pay scale. For example, if an older person gets job at lower position such as a clerk in a company, then that person earns low income, which in turn creates financial pressure on an individual. Another serious issue is that it affects overall result of the task. If a younger group, without enough experience perform any task, then they might end up with less productive results and outcomes because the freshers may not know how to tackle the challenges occurring during the task.

To solve these problems, government should take initiative to change the policy of each company and put certain criteria for people above the age of 50. If the policy includes job openings for certain elder people at higher position, then people above 50 years may get good jobs. In addition, authorities should also provide some minimum wage to elder people in terms of several schemes. For instance, there are certain schemes in India that give financial support for widow women.

In conclusion, this situation might lead to putting financial pressure on elderly people and reduction of productivity in workplace. However, these issues can be addressed by changing policy of companies and supportive schemes. If both government and companies make efforts then elder people above the age of 50 might get good jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes and solutions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument regarding 'productivity' is a bit vague, as it assumes younger workers are inherently less productive without fully explaining why experience is undervalued by employers. The causes are identified as financial pressure and productivity concerns, and the solutions focus on government policy and financial schemes. While the response is relevant, it would benefit from more nuanced exploration of why ageism exists in the modern workplace, such as technological shifts or salary expectations, to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the causes from the solutions. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'For example', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the financial pressure point and the productivity point in the second paragraph is abrupt. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, but the use of cohesive devices lacks the flexibility required for higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'initiative' and 'reputed jobs', though some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'reputed jobs' (better: 'prestigious' or 'high-level positions') and 'elder people' (better: 'older workers' or 'the elderly'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but there is a lack of sophisticated or precise lexical items that would demonstrate a wider command of the language.

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 that persist throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('it will negatively affects their pay scale' should be 'affect') and article usage ('the policy of each company and put certain criteria for people' should be 'a policy'). Additionally, there are minor errors in phrasing, such as 'measures like as changes' (should be 'such as'). These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a lack of consistent control over complex structures.

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