Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-07

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

It is very common for people to change both their habits and their opinions as they get older.

Do you agree or disagree?

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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

It is commonly observed that it is hard for individuals to change their habits and opinions as they grow older. While many believe that it would not be easy to change when growing up, I completely disagree with the notion and I believe it is easy to change at later stages of life due to changes in preferences and political opinions.

Firstly, one of the key reasons is that many change due to changes in their circumstances, such as having children. For Instance, new parents change their routine after having a baby. Moreover, they would be more concerned about healthy diet for themselves and for the baby. Consequently, both parents and the newborn will lead to a healthier lifestyle if they reduce their screen time and focus on more productive relationship building activities. Additionally, they would reduce their use of phones and tablets to keep the baby away from radiation, which they were not able to do when they were bachelors.

Furthermore, another vital reason is switching political viewpoints. When citizens grow older, they understand their votes matter significantly to shape the country's future. To illustrate, millennials who refuse to vote when they first become eligible to vote start voting at every level of government, such as city councillor to member of parliament. Therefore, a change can be noticed when individuals get at certain maturity levels.

To conclude, I completely disagree that people change their habits and opinions when they have clear objectives, like once they become parents and more responsible towards their social responsibilities such as voting.

Advice for Next Attempt

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt clearly, maintaining a consistent position throughout. The ideas regarding parenthood and political engagement are relevant and provide sufficient support for the argument. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation of how parents change their habits could be more nuanced, and the link between 'maturity levels' and political shifts is a bit general. While the task is fully addressed, the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6.5 or 7.0 level. The conclusion effectively restates the position, though it could have been more expansive to better synthesize the arguments presented.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'Consequently', and 'Furthermore' are used to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing in the second paragraph ('they' referring to parents) is occasionally repetitive. The progression of ideas is clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by varying the cohesive structures used to link the arguments more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'notion', 'circumstances', and 'millennials', which are used correctly. However, the range is somewhat restricted, and there are instances of slightly awkward phrasing, such as 'get at certain maturity levels' and 'bachelors' (which is not the most precise term for someone without children). To reach a higher band, the student should aim for more sophisticated collocations and a wider variety of topic-specific vocabulary related to personal development and social change.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several error-free sentences, but some grammatical inaccuracies persist, such as 'both parents and the newborn will lead to a healthier lifestyle' (the newborn does not lead a lifestyle in the same way) and 'refuse to vote when they first become eligible to vote' (tense inconsistency). Punctuation is generally accurate, but the control over complex structures is not yet consistent enough for a higher band. The errors present do not impede communication, but they are noticeable enough to prevent a higher score.

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