Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-21
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)
It is often argued that an individual changes their habits and views as they get older. I strongly agree with this view because human beings are grown up by learning from early childhood to death.
To begin with, People are learning day by day, and they change their habits and thoughts according to their understanding level. For example, an individual who is child has different habit like he will do anything such as breaking kitchen utensils or throwing stuff on people without knowing either it is a good or a bad thing. His parents will now teach him do not do this activities again by saying it is the bad thing. Moreover, he will learn this thing should not do again because it harms other as well as it determines their own behaviour.
Furthermore, if an individual is grown up s he is 25 years old then he became matured enough to decide what is wrong and right. For example, an individual grow up by learning from their parents, society, and surroundings. As he become more mature by learning day by day, and it can be seen changes in their habits. In addition, when an individual was child each and everything was done by their parents like waking up in the morning, eating, bathing but after some years an individual do their things by themself by changing their habits.
To conclude,I believe that people change their way of living and thinking as they get older because they become mature by learning day by day. It is human nature to change according to time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response clearly addresses the prompt by taking a strong agreeing position that people change habits and opinions as they get older. The main idea is supported with relevant examples, such as a child learning right from wrong and a 25-year-old gaining maturity and independence. However, the development of ideas tends to be a bit repetitive, and the reasoning relies on generalized examples rather than fully extended, sophisticated arguments. For instance, the explanation of a child breaking kitchen utensils is somewhat simplistic. Nevertheless, all parts of the task are addressed with a clear overall position maintained throughout. This aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor where relevant ideas are presented, although some aspects could be more fully developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression from childhood learning to adult maturity. Paragraphing is used appropriately to divide the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty due to repetitive use of transition signals and linking phrases such as 'To begin with,' 'Furthermore,' and 'In addition.' Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as the ambiguous pronoun shifts between singular and plural forms (e.g., 'an individual who is child has different habit like he will do...'). While the text is generally easy to follow, these cohesive issues and awkward transitions prevent the response from reaching a higher band score, placing it comfortably at Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'individual,' 'surroundings,' 'matured,' and 'behaviour.' However, there are noticeable vocabulary and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'human beings are grown up by learning,' 'understanding level,' and 'do not do this activities.' Word choice is sometimes unnatural, and there are occasional slips in word formation (e.g., 'matured' instead of 'mature'). The range is sufficient to convey the writer's meaning without impeding communication, but the presence of persistent errors and a lack of less common lexical items restrict the score to a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures (e.g., 'It is often argued that an individual changes their habits and views as they get older'). However, grammar and punctuation errors are frequent, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions. Examples include 'an individual who is child,' 'do not do this activities,' 'either it is a good or a bad thing,' and 'each and everything was done by their parents like waking up.' Furthermore, there are awkward phrasing issues like 's he is 25 years old.' These errors occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, fitting the profile of a Band 5 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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