Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-26

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 recent years, when people get old, they tend to change their lifestyles and also their opinions. It happens because the way they used to live in their prime time is different, as the world is changing and with that, they like to upgrade themselves. In my opinion, I absolutely agree with this term, and this essay will examine the key behind this view and consider its reasons and broader implications.

First, older people in their generation have different thoughts and lifestyles. They tend to work hard to achieve their dreams and have a huge responsibility to provide for their families. In their prime time, there was no advanced technology. They have to earn that money to live that life. For example: they walk to miles for studies and for work as they do not much vehicles or some old people can not even buy their dream cars.

Secondly, in terms of today's generation, everything is fast and advanced. To survive in this generation, they can not apply their old thoughts and opinions because the younger generation cannot apply that in their time. So, with the growing changes, every older person tries to adjust. For example, when some older people try to use the latest technology, they fail to do so because, in their time, they were not used to having something, so they had a hard time with that.

In conclusion, when older people see that the generation is changing, they try to change their opinions and way of thinking. This also draws my agreement on this thoughts because they are to adjust and so younger people can not pity on them rather than supports them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing how and why people change their habits and opinions as they age, clearly stating a position in the introduction ("I absolutely agree with this term"). However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and occasionally confused in its focus. The writer attempts to contrast past generations with today's generation, but the arguments shift between how older people lived in the past and how they struggle or adapt to modern technology today. While examples are provided, such as older people walking miles in their youth or struggling with latest technology, the supporting points remain somewhat under-developed and general. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of addressing all parts of the task, earning a solid Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a recognisable overall structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas, such as past lifestyles versus modern technological adaptation. Cohesive devices are employed, including transition markers like "First," "Secondly," and "In conclusion." However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. For instance, the transition into the second body paragraph ("in terms of today's generation") is awkward, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use in "younger people can not pity on them rather than supports them." Logical progression is present, but the overall arrangement would benefit from smoother transitional links.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to express ideas related to aging, lifestyle changes, and technological adaptation. The student successfully uses everyday terms and phrases like "lifestyles," "prime time," and "latest technology." However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as "agree with this term" instead of "agree with this statement," "prime time" to refer to youth, and the unidiomatic phrase "can not pity on them." Spelling and word formation are generally clear, but the lexical range remains somewhat limited and repetitive, which prevents the score from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over basic structures. There are several instances of successful complex sentences, such as "When older people see that the generation is changing, they try to change their opinions..." However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text, including tense inconsistencies ("They have to earn that money", "they walk to miles"), subject-verb agreement issues ("some old people can not even buy", "younger people cannot apply that"), and awkward phrasing ("they are to adjust and so younger people can not pity on them rather than supports them"). These errors sometimes cause difficulty for the reader, placing the response firmly in the Band 5 category for grammatical accuracy.

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