Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-08-21
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 6.0)
In this contemporary era, there is no denying to this conviction that elderly people face difficulty to get a job after having experience as well. This issue can be attributed to several underlying factors such as age discrimination and outdated skills, while retraining and anti-age discrimination laws could be implemented to address it.
The primary cause of this issue is age inequality. This is mainly because of young generation can be more advanced, energetic and adaptable. Employee should be fit physically and mentally to work effectively, so that companies wants new productive brain of youth for potential, creativity and innovations. Apart from this, outdated skills is an another cause of this problem. As per the technology changes, employers needs skilled and productive workers, who can adapt new technology. Therefore, older individuals may have less knowledge and experience on up-to-date digital skills. For instance, an experienced accountant over 50 may struggle to find employment if they are unfamiliar with modern accounting software, whereas a younger applicant may already have these skills.
A practical way to overcome the issue is retraining. To put it simply, the government should organize free courses to older population, for skill up in advanced machines and patterns. Besides this, authorities should implement strong anti-age discrimination laws, if companies does not select people on the basis of skills and experience but prior to age classification.
In conclusion, there are plethora of reasons why companies are not selecting older applicants, mainly because of their outdated skills, yet this difficulty can be tackled with some government measures and laws, which plays an effective role for the employment of old people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: causes and solutions. The ideas are relevant, such as age discrimination and the need for retraining. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument that younger generations are 'more advanced' is a generalization that could be supported with more nuanced reasoning regarding the pace of technological change. The position is clear throughout, but the explanation of the solutions, particularly the anti-age discrimination laws, lacks specific detail on how these would be enforced or why they would be effective. Overall, the response covers the requirements but would benefit from more depth and specific examples to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Apart from this,' 'To put it simply,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, though there are minor issues with flow between sentences in the second paragraph. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas from causes to solutions is logical, ensuring the reader can follow the argument without difficulty.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'age discrimination,' 'retraining,' and 'up-to-date digital skills.' However, there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'no denying to this conviction' and 'skill up in advanced machines.' The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but the lack of more sophisticated or precise collocations limits the score. There are no major spelling errors, but the word choice is often functional rather than precise, which is characteristic of a mid-range performance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the student attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'companies wants,' 'employers needs,' 'companies does not'). Additionally, there are minor errors with articles and prepositions (e.g., 'to the older population'). These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of articles, as these errors occur consistently throughout the text.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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