Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-19
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 a few countries, old people over the age of 50 with great experience and knowledge are facing problems in terms of finding a good job or getting hired. In this essay, I will discuss all the causes of these problems and necessary measures to solve it.
In this segment, I will discuss the causes of these problems and solutions with proper facts and arguments. Firstly, many old people are facing issues related to health problems in spite of having great experience in terms of jobs because companies and employers are looking for people without any health problems so that people focus more on work and make abundant profit for companies. Therefore, senior employees over the age of 50 do not get jobs easily. However, it can be solved with proper methods like governments should organize awareness programs to encourage the old people to do exercise daily and have a proper diet. Moreover, governments should spend more on medical facilities for the old people so they can get proper treatment and do not face problems while working.
Furthermore, many companies and organizations often prefer to hire young people because they are more capable of adapting new skills easily and also well aware of the usage of AI. Meanwhile, older generation faces difficulties for adapting new skills and have less knowledge regarding AI. Therefore, companies hires young people and not old people despite their experience. Nevertheless, it can be resolved by organizing skill based programs for the old people, so they become aware about today's time. Moreover, companies should hire old people for taking big decisions as they are more experienced.
To conclude, by taking proper measures and steps older generation can get good jobs
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: causes and solutions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding health issues is a generalization that lacks nuance, and the proposed solution of 'government awareness programs' is quite simplistic. The second body paragraph touches on the digital divide and AI, which is a relevant point, but the suggestion that companies should hire older people for 'big decisions' is not fully explored or supported with concrete examples. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed explanations and specific examples of how these measures would work in a real-world business context.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression from causes to solutions. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Nevertheless'. However, the use of these markers is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between sentences can feel repetitive. For example, the phrase 'In this segment, I will discuss...' is unnecessary and disrupts the flow of the essay. Additionally, the conclusion is very brief and lacks a summary of the main points, which affects the overall coherence of the piece. Improving the variety of linking words and refining the concluding paragraph would enhance the structure.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good jobs', 'old people', and 'problems'. While communication is clear, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or sophisticated collocations. Phrases like 'make abundant profit' and 'today's time' sound slightly unnatural. To improve, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary related to the labor market, such as 'ageism', 'technological proficiency', 'professional expertise', or 'workforce integration'. Expanding your vocabulary will help you express your ideas with more nuance and precision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'companies hires' (subject-verb agreement), 'older generation faces' (missing article), and 'for taking big decisions' (preposition usage). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some minor errors in sentence construction. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, while maintaining accuracy, would help you achieve a higher score in this criterion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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