Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15
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 5.5)
In this modern times, many people change both their habits and their opinions as they grow older. I agree with this view because people get mature with time and their circumstance also change with time.
To begin with, It is often seen that people change their habits and their opinions with the growing age. This is because they get wiser with time, different circumstances teach them various things. For example, my grandfather was against working of women, as he grew older his thinking got changed. Therefore, people often change their opinions with growing age.
Furthermore, the situations always change with time, it brings different challenges, which enables people to learn lessons of life. To illustrate this, a person makes more friends when he is younger, but as he gets older his friend circle becomes smaller. Hence, new circumstances drive new habits.
In conclusion, I agree with the view that people change their habits and opinions with time due to circumstances and growing maturity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position agreeing that people change habits and opinions as they age, supporting this with reasons regarding maturity and changing circumstances. However, the response suffers significantly from a failure to meet the minimum word count requirement, containing only 163 words instead of the required 250. This under-length severely limits the extent to which ideas can be fully developed and extended. While the arguments presented are relevant, such as the example of the grandfather and the shift in friendship circles, they remain underdeveloped due to the brevity of the text. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, which strongly aligns with the Band 5 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a logical overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal progression, such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas. However, referencing and cohesion can sometimes feel mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated phrase 'with time' and 'with growing age'. Despite these limitations, there is a clear flow of ideas throughout the short text, making the organisation easy to follow. This performance is consistent with the Band 6 descriptor for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully communicating everyday concepts. Words such as 'circumstance', 'mature', 'perspective', and 'challenges' demonstrate an attempt to discuss the topic beyond basic terms. There are, however, noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'In this modern times' (grammatical/lexical slip for 'In modern times') and 'his thinking got changed' (which lacks natural collocation). Spelling is generally accurate, but the lack of flexibility and precision in less common lexical items prevents the score from reaching a higher band. The vocabulary range and control fit comfortably within Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as 'I agree with this view because people get mature with time and their circumstance also change with time.' There are several grammatical errors present, including subject-verb agreement issues ('their circumstance also change') and awkward phrasing ('with the growing age'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, and the errors do not severely impede overall communication, allowing the reader to grasp the intended meaning easily. Because there is a reasonable mix of sentence types alongside persistent errors that do not block understanding, this performance corresponds to a Band 6.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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