Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-10-07

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)

It is often argued that in some countries it can be extremely difficult for individuals over the age of 50 to get good jobs, despite their work exeperience. I think this problem has many causes and one of them is indeed the age of some individuals.

To begin with, people of older age often find it hard to find opportunities in a society in general, whatever jobs, relationships and many numerous things. The main cause of this problem, especially in jobs is the age, some jobs require younger individuals due to its hard nature, for instance construction jobs, a younger person is more capable than an older one. Other causes which are also related to older age is the individual health, usually youth tend to have a better health than old people, therefore their employment is easier, if they pass the required interview for the job. Analysts did a study on a group of young and old people and found that 80% of old people have health issues and can't work in jobs with a tough nature and for longer hours.

Moreover, another cause of this problem which old people face in jobs despite their experience is the existence of younger individuals with the same amount of knowledge and exeperience which makes major companies select the younger individual. Also some companies view older people as not much ambitious as the younger generation and not very capable of modern day technology.

However, some argue that if a person is fit, no one has the right to strip him from his right to work, an opinion which i believe in.

In conclusion, I firmly believe we have to raise awareness through the media that an older person has all the respect and right to work and age is just a number, if his health condition is good.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You identify several relevant causes, including physically demanding work, health concerns, competition from younger applicants, and employers’ assumptions about older workers’ ambition or technology skills. However, the task asks for both causes and measures, and the response gives only one brief measure: raising awareness through the media. This leaves a major part of the task under-addressed. Your position is also not fully consistent: you first suggest age itself is a cause, then argue that age should not prevent employment, without clearly distinguishing genuine job requirements from unfair discrimination. Develop practical measures—such as retraining, anti-age-discrimination enforcement, or flexible roles—and explain how they would help. The response meets the stated length requirement; 11 words copied from the prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, paragraphs presenting causes, a contrasting point, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help signal the sequence. However, progression is uneven: the paragraph beginning “However” introduces a general opinion rather than developing a solution, and the conclusion repeats the awareness idea without adding a clear summary of the causes and measures. Some connections are also unclear, particularly the shift from health limitations to the claim that employment is easier for younger people. Organise the essay around two clear sections—causes and solutions—and use each paragraph to develop one main point with an explanation or example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “employment,” “ambitious,” “modern day technology,” and “health condition.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are repetitive or imprecise, such as repeated references to “older age,” “old people,” and “younger individuals.” Some collocations are unnatural, including “a better health,” “tough nature,” and “strip him from his right.” The spelling errors “exeperience” and “i” also reduce accuracy. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall argument, but they make parts of it less clear and natural. Aim for precise terms such as “older applicants,” “physically demanding roles,” and “age discrimination,” and check spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “despite,” “which,” and “if.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but errors recur in sentence construction and agreement. For example, “some jobs require younger individuals due to its hard nature” has a mismatch between “jobs” and “its,” while “Other causes … is the individual health” has faulty agreement and structure. The long sentence beginning “The main cause of this problem” also joins several ideas with commas, making the relationships harder to follow. There are further issues with articles and sentence boundaries, as in “a better health” and the comma splice before “an opinion.” Use shorter, controlled sentences and check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.