Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 various countries around the world, people are facing difficulties to get a good job due to over age. In my view, people who are mature have a lot of working experience but still they encounter complexity to find jobs because with age they loose their ability to adapt the new changes and technologies in the market.

On the one hand, younger people are acquiring more jobs than older people these days. In research, researchers have shared the ratio of younger people getting more jobs than people who are mature as younger people have more capability to grasp and master the new changes in the market whether it belongs to technology, business or healthcare sectors. To give an example, as we all know technology is changing and AI is booming in the market. So, younger people are more inclined towards AI whereas mature people are still working on older technologies and tools.

On the other hand, mature people have a lot of experience which can help younger people to learn about the market, business and culture. Younger people don't have business or client dealing experience. They can just work on the knowledge which they have apprehend from studies. To quote an example, whenever interns are hired in the company they are aligned with a manager so that they can help them to handover some business knowledge because without knowing client requirements one can't work whether they have good understanding skills.

In my opinion, mature people should be more open to adapt new changes in the market without any hesitations which will help them to grow and sustain.

In conclusion, companies can do seminars and workshops for the mature people and can encourage younger people to participate in it and share knowledge.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both the causes of older workers’ difficulty finding jobs and possible measures, and your central explanation—that adapting to new technology can be harder for some mature workers—is relevant. The contrast with younger workers and the example of AI help illustrate this cause. However, the response gives much less attention to practical solutions: the suggestion that older people should adapt is broad, while seminars and workshops appear only briefly in the conclusion. The discussion of older workers’ experience is useful but does not clearly explain how employers could use it to reduce the problem. Develop each proposed measure with a specific explanation, such as targeted digital training or age-inclusive recruitment, and support it with a clear example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting contrasting points, and a conclusion. The signposts “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” make the stages easy to follow. However, the second body paragraph focuses on the value of mature workers’ experience rather than clearly advancing the causes-and-solutions discussion, so the progression between the task’s two parts is not fully controlled. Some links are also mechanical, and references such as “they” in “so that they can help them” are unclear. Organise the body around causes and solutions, use more precise references, and connect each example directly to the paragraph’s main point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “working experience,” “technologies,” “AI,” “client requirements,” and “workshops.” These terms make the subject clear, and some choices show an attempt to discuss employment in a specific context. However, several noticeable word-choice and collocation errors make parts of the response less natural, such as “complexity to find jobs,” “adapt the new changes,” and “over age.” There is also a spelling error in “loose” where “lose” is intended, and “apprehend from studies” does not express the intended meaning. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check spelling; for example, use “difficulty finding work,” “adapt to new developments,” and “knowledge gained through study.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a subordinate clause in “because with age…” and a conditional structure in “without knowing client requirements one can’t work.” Most of the main ideas remain understandable. However, some sentence patterns contain errors that reduce accuracy, such as “people are facing difficulties to get” and “younger people have more capability to grasp,” while “adapt the new changes” also shows an incorrect grammatical pattern. The long sentence beginning “To quote an example” is difficult to follow because its clauses and pronouns are not clearly controlled. Practise verb patterns and prepositions, and divide long sentences when needed. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen the response.

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.