Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-17

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 is very difficult for people over the age of 50 to get good job, despite their experience and i think one of the leading cause of this problem is their age. Employers are looking for active people who can work at better speed, more active towards task and are more energetic. People over 50 are often seen as weak and unfit to work. I agree with the fact that after 50 it turns aout to be hard to work long hour while sitting at the chair. People at that age usually require rest and breaks along with that the health issues associated with old age can lead to leaves which also employer tries to avoid. There is no doubt that these people are rich in experience and know the world, so to solve this problem we can work on their working hours. For example rather then bounding them to work 9-5 they can work few hours, during those work hours they should be provided with ergonomically fit work area. Work from home can also be an option to overcome this issue, older people can rest and can work from the comfort of home. More or less i also think that people over 50 should be given more of guiding roles at senior levels with minimun work load and more of guiding roles, where they can use their experience to guide new employes and make help them learn work environments. There should be proper roles in corporate and other sectors keeping in mind age and best fit environment or people over the age of 50

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by identifying both the causes of older people struggling to find employment and proposing concrete measures to solve the problem. The student presents a clear position, stating that ageism, perceived physical limitations, and health concerns are primary causes. Ideas are extended with relevant suggestions such as flexible working hours, ergonomic workstations, remote work, and transitioning older workers into mentorship or senior advisory roles. For example, the student notes that 'rather then bounding them to work 9-5 they can work few hours' and suggests 'guiding roles at senior levels with minimun work load'. While the development is somewhat informal and could be supported with more robust external evidence, all core aspects of the prompt are successfully covered. This performance aligns well with the requirements for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement, successfully taking the reader from the causes of the issue to potential solutions. However, the progression is hindered by the complete absence of paragraph breaks; the entire response is written as a single block of text. This makes the text visually dense and impacts logical pacing. While basic cohesive devices are used to connect ideas (e.g., 'despite their experience', 'so to solve this problem', 'For example'), referencing is sometimes repetitive, and paragraphing is entirely neglected. Cohesive devices are functional rather than flexible. Based on these organizational shortcomings, particularly the lack of paragraphs, the score reflects Band 5.5 to 6.0, settling at Band 6.0 for maintaining an overall clear flow of thought despite structural limitations.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the intended meaning. The student attempts some less common and topic-specific vocabulary such as 'ergonomically fit work area', 'senior levels', and 'corporate and other sectors'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and word-form errors throughout the text, such as writing 'good job' instead of 'good jobs', 'leading cause' instead of 'leading causes', 'turns aout' (turn out), and 'employes' (employees). Additionally, phrasing like 'more active towards task' is unnatural in collocation. The range is sufficient to communicate simple and complex ideas, but frequent minor errors place this squarely in the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range. Due to the clarity of communication despite vocabulary flaws, a Band 6.0 is awarded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt to use relative clauses and conditional-like structures (e.g., 'Employers are looking for active people who can work at better speed...'). However, grammatical accuracy is noticeably weak. There are several punctuation errors, notably missing commas and run-on sentences, as well as subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'employer tries to avoid' instead of 'employers try to avoid'). Articles are occasionally missing or misused (e.g., 'at the chair' instead of 'in a chair'). Errors in grammar and punctuation are frequent, and while they rarely completely impede communication, they do cause some strain for the reader. This performance aligns with the Band 5.5 descriptors.

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