Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16

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)

People's lifestyles and perspectives always revolve as they move through different stages of life. I strongly believe that growing older commonly leads to changes in both daily habits and personal opinions, mainly because of changing responsibilities and greater life experience.

One of the main reasons people change their habits as they grow older is that their responsibilities gradually increase. Young adults may have a relatively flexible lifestyle, whereas older people have full-time work, family commitments, and financial responsibilities. Consequently, they tend to develop more organised schedules to manage their time effectively. For instance, a young person may regularly stay up late after starting a demanding job; they may adjust their routine by going to bed earlier and following a fixed schedule.

Another important reason is that life experience influences people's opinions and attitudes. As individuals encounter different situations and gain knowledge, they reconsider the views that they held when they were not mentally mature. For example, a young person initially believes that working long hours is best to achieve success; after gaining experience in professional experience, they may realise healthy work- life balance is equally essential. Hence, maturity and personal life experiences can lead people to develop different views over time.

In conclusion, I strongly agree that people change their habits and opinions as they grow older. Greater responsibilities can influence their routines, while increased knowledge and experience reshape their views overtime.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response clearly addresses the prompt, taking a strong and consistent stance that people change both habits and opinions as they age. The student explores two main avenues for this change: increasing responsibilities and life experience. Ideas are supported with relevant explanations and examples, such as the transition from staying up late to maintaining structured routines when starting a demanding job. However, there is a penalty for length, as the response falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement at 232 words. Consequently, while the development is generally good, the under-length nature of the essay restricts it to a Band 6.0 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear overall progression. Ideas are logically sequenced, moving naturally from the introduction to two distinct body paragraphs focusing on responsibilities and life experience respectively, before culminating in a succinct conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively and appropriately, such as 'Consequently,' 'For instance,' and 'Another important reason.' Paragraphing is logical, with each paragraph centering on a clear central topic. Referencing and substitution are handled well, avoiding unnecessary repetition. The essay meets the criteria for Band 7.0 in this domain because of its clear logical organisation and the flexible use of cohesive devices throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student uses an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating items such as 'perspectives,' 'demanding job,' 'professional experience,' and 'work-life balance.' There are minor awkwardness issues and slight lexical slips, such as writing 'revolve' instead of 'evolve' in the opening sentence, and the repetitive phrase 'professional experience' in the third paragraph. Despite these occasional errors in word choice and collocation, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication. This performance aligns comfortably with the Band 6.0 descriptors for Lexical Resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating subordinate clauses effectively (e.g., 'As individuals encounter different situations and gain knowledge, they reconsider the views that they held...'). Grammatical control is generally strong, with many error-free sentences. There are a few minor slips or awkward expressions, such as 'views overtime' (where 'over time' is split into two words), but these errors do not impede communication. The variety of sentence structures used, alongside a solid grasp of basic and complex grammar, justifies a Band 7.0 for Grammatical Range and Accuracy.

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