Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-21

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 5.5)

In the modern world, people over the age of 50 are doing jobs and mostly they are getting blue collor jobs. Apart from their experience they are unable to get a good job. In this essay I am going to state some main causes of this phenemenon and possible steps to solve it.

To commence with, today people who are above the age of 50 are doing jobs to support their family or they do not want to become a burden on their family. Due to this, they have to do a job and at an old age they are not capable to do any job which need high strenght so they end up with jobs like sweeper or housekeeper. Moreover, despite of their knowledge and experience they fall behind from young generation in using new technologies, so they end up being unproductive at a high job. What is more, senior citizens do not get enough support from government such as health benefits, pensions, life insurance, etc. And at that stage of life they want money to buy medicines and get treatment, so to bear all the expenses they are forced to do jobs.

Now lets talk about the measures of this problem. First of all, we should spread awareness among society and family members to respect their elders and make sure that they are not doing jobs, as its our duty to provide all the essentials to our elders. Secondly, government can play an important role in favour of this problem, if they provide free health care and give pensions to elders so they can live peacefully after retirement. Lastly, we should educate elders about new technology and techniques which will help them to find a good, respected job position as they have higher experience they youngsters, so they can definately help to grow any company if they get right training.

In a nutshell, I believe that after a point one should quit working as they have devoted their whole life doing jobs and now its our duty to provide comfortable life to our elders. However, if one wants to do job then make sure that he is doing a good and respected job.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by identifying causes, such as technological barriers and lack of financial support, and proposing solutions like government pensions and training. However, the ideas lack full development and depth, tending towards over-generalisation. For example, claiming that senior citizens are forced into low-paying jobs purely due to a lack of state support overlooks broader economic factors. The position is clear throughout, but the reasoning could be extended with more specific examples. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a clear paragraph structure with an introduction, body paragraphs for causes and solutions, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with', 'Moreover', and 'Lastly', but some transitions feel mechanical or slightly repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional awkward phrasing creates slight bumps in the reading flow. Overall, the logical progression is evident, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'phenomenon', 'unproductive', and 'retirement'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'collor' instead of 'collar', 'phenemenon' instead of 'phenomenon', and 'strenght' instead of 'strength'. Grammatical collocation is sometimes imprecise, like 'in favour of this problem' instead of 'to address this problem'. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. While there are successful complex structures, such as 'if they provide free health care and give pensions to elders so they can live peacefully', there are also frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues. Examples include 'people who are above the age of 50 are doing jobs to support their family or they do not want' and 'at an old age they are not capable to do any job which need high strenght'. Subject-verb agreement errors and missing articles also occur, but they rarely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 6 score.

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