Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Nowadays it's possible for people to buy many products or pay for treatments that help them to look younger.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

These days, people have access to wide range of products and cosmetic treatments designed to help to maintain a youthful appearances. According to me, it is generally a negative development because it can create the financial pressure, unrealistic beauty standards and health risk.

One of the major advantages of using those anti-ageing products or cosmetic procedures is to regain the self-confidence. People can improve aspects of their appearance that make it uncomfortable. As a result, applying those skincare products or treatment might help someone to feel more confident. Therefore, in this days it has become very common among people to undergo those treatment to boost their self confidence. Another advantage is some treatments can cure genuine skin problems like acne, dark circles and other age-related problems.

The major drawback of using anti-ageing treatment or products is the financial burden they can create. Many treatments or products are expensive, and people may feel the need to use them repeatedly because their effects are temporary. As a result, individuals may spend significant amount of money on their appearance instead of saving it or using it on more essential needs. Another reason is that these treatments can contribute to unrealistic beauty standards. Social media platforms frequently expose people to photographs of famous celebrities who have been digitally edited or undergone some cosmetic procedures to uplift their look. Therefore, people compare themselves with those famous people for their unrealistic images and become dissatisfied with their natural appearance. For example, a young person who constantly look at famous people for having perfect skin may believe that a normal signs.

In conclusion, although anti-ageing treatment and products help to cure some skin problems and boost self confidence, their widespread can become financial burden and set unrealistic expectation. Therefore, I believe disadvantages outweigh advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both sides of the issue (advantages and disadvantages of anti-ageing products and treatments) and clearly states a position in the introduction and conclusion that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Ideas are generally well-supported with examples, such as mentioning financial burdens and the impact of social media and edited photographs. However, the development of some points occasionally feels brief, and there is a slight contradiction where the introduction states the writer views it negatively, yet the second paragraph discusses advantages before the subsequent paragraphs pivot to the drawbacks. Overall, the task is successfully and appropriately covered, earning a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 range. We award a Band 6.5 here because the discussion of advantages feels slightly tacked on and the overall argumentation could be more seamlessly integrated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is organized into clear, logical paragraphs with an introduction, a paragraph discussing advantages, a paragraph detailing disadvantages, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately throughout the essay, with transition markers such as 'One of the major advantages', 'Another advantage', 'The major drawback', and 'In conclusion' guiding the reader through the text. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise (e.g., 'those treatment', 'these treatments'), and the logical progression between the opening stance and body paragraphs is slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, maintaining an overall coherent arrangement that aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'anti-ageing products', 'cosmetic procedures', 'self-confidence', and 'financial burden'. There are, however, several word-choice and collocation inaccuracies, such as 'wide range' missing an article ('a wide range'), 'youthful appearances' (should be singular or uncountable), 'create the financial pressure' (unnecessary article), and 'a normal signs' (plural/singular mismatch). Despite these errors, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary remains functional, fitting the Band 6 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or participial clauses like 'applying those skincare products or treatment might help someone to feel more confident.' There are noticeable grammatical errors throughout, such as 'According to me' (unnatural collocation; 'In my opinion' is better), missing pluralization ('a wide range of product', 'treatment' instead of 'treatments'), and minor prepositional issues ('in this days'). Complex sentence attempts sometimes contain errors, but they do not prevent the overall meaning from coming across clearly. These characteristics strongly reflect the Band 6 descriptor for grammar.

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