Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17

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 6.0)

For individuals it is certain to change their habits and perspectives as they move on in life. I agree with this statement because when people mature enough, they have crucial responsibilities and working overtime at their job has a poor effect on mental health.

When people older in their life, they have several responsibilities on their shoulder. In their youth the only thing that matter to them is to complete their assignments, play online games, travel with friends and stay up late at night. However, when they get older they have marriages to maintain, get up early for their jobs, eat healthy and do exercise. These are some of habits a mature person has to do in their lifespans. For instance, compared to teenagers, people in their late 40s have higher stress levels in their life due to workloads and responsibilities.

Doing overtime shifts at work has an impact on individuals’ mental health. As a new employee for being relevant, they work hard and extra work compared to other peers. However, after a long time this practice comes at a very high price because they do not have quality time with their friends and family. They realize sooner or later that not only physical but mental health is also important to them. For example, in the UK a company called Apple allowed holidays four days a week and the yearly stats show that employees are more satisfied compared to others.

In conclusion, it is very obvious that people change their mindset and habits as they get more experienced. I agree because in life we have important responsibilities to maintain and as you get more experienced with life, your opinions do change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position that people do change their habits and opinions as they age, supporting this view with relevant examples regarding responsibilities and work-life balance. The ideas are generally well developed, such as contrasting the carefree nature of youth with the structured responsibilities of adulthood, for instance, 'people in their late 40s have higher stress levels'. However, some supporting points, such as the example regarding the UK company Apple allowing four-day holidays, drift slightly into general workplace arguments rather than strictly focusing on personal habit and opinion evolution over a lifetime. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fulfilling the band 6 to 7 criteria for task response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall progression and logical organisation, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs discussing responsibilities and mental health, and concluding with a summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'However', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion', though some referencing and transitions feel slightly mechanical or abrupt, as seen in 'As a new employee for being relevant'. Paragraph 3 introduces a minor digression regarding work-related mental health that disrupts the smooth flow of the central thesis about personal maturation. Despite these occasional minor cohesion faults, the essay remains coherent and easy to follow throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'perspectives', 'responsibilities', and 'workloads'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the text. Examples include 'For individuals it is certain to change' instead of 'It is certain that individuals change', 'When people older in their life', and 'allow holidays four days a week'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lexical limitations and awkward collocations place the writing securely in the band 6 category, as the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the message despite occasional errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional and concessive clauses (e.g., 'However, when they get older they have...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'when people mature enough', 'have several responsibilities on their shoulder', and 'These are some of habits'. Article usage and preposition errors also occur regularly, for instance, 'stay up late at night' versus 'in their lifespans'. While these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they prevent the essay from achieving a higher band, as error-free sentences are not in the majority.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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