Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)
It is commonly found that as people get older, they change both their habits and opinions. I strongly agree with this statement because people's priorities, habits and behaviour often change as they grow older.
Firstly, maturity can be a major factor in changing people's habits and attitudes. As people grow older, they gain more life experience and become more aware of the consequences of their choices. As a result, they may gradually give up unhealthy habits such as smoking or excessive alcohol consumption. Although they may enjoy smoking, they may eventually give it up because of health problems. Furthermore, people's priorities can change, and they may increasingly value spending quality time with their children and grandchildren.
Additionally, changes in behaviour can influence people's habits and opinions. As people age, they may experience changes in memory and communication, which can affect the way they think and make decisions. For instance, memory loss and hearing difficulties may affect how older adults communicate with others and respond to different situations. As a result, they may gradually adapt their habits and opinions to deal with these challenges.
In conclusion, I strongly agree that people's habits and opinions often change as they grow older. Greater maturity, life experience and behavioural changes can all influence the decisions they make and the way they live their lives.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by clearly agreeing that people change habits and opinions as they age, presenting a recognizable position throughout. The main ideas, such as growing maturity and changing life experiences leading to healthier choices, are relevant. However, the essay falls significantly short of the word count requirement, containing only 220 words instead of the minimum 250 words. This under-length impacts the full development of ideas, leading to a penalty on the Task Achievement score. While the body paragraphs introduce valid points about lifestyle adjustments and changing priorities, they remain somewhat superficial and lack deeper elaboration. To achieve a higher band, you must ensure you meet the minimum word count and extend your arguments with more robust, specific examples.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The essay demonstrates a clear overall structure with an introduction, two distinct body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly,' 'Furthermore,' 'Additionally,' and 'In conclusion' are utilized to guide the reader through the text. Paragraphing is logical, with each body paragraph focusing on a specific angle of the prompt: the first on maturity and priorities, and the second on behavioral and cognitive changes. However, referencing and progression occasionally feel a bit mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated phrasing of 'As people grow older' and 'As a result.' Despite these minor limitations, the essay is coherent and easy to follow throughout, justifying a solid score in this criterion.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is adequate and generally appropriate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their thoughts clearly. You successfully integrated functional terms such as 'consequences,' 'excessive alcohol consumption,' and 'cognitive challenges.' However, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and there is a heavy reliance on basic or repetitive words like 'people,' 'habits,' and 'opinions' rather than employing a wider array of synonyms. There are also occasional tautologies or less precise collocations, such as 'changes in behaviour can influence people's habits and opinions.' To reach higher bands, you should incorporate a broader spectrum of less common lexical items and demonstrate greater precision in word choice.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0
The response displays a reasonable mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and subordinate clauses like 'Although they may enjoy smoking, they may eventually give it up because of health problems.' Grammatical accuracy is generally quite good; the majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout the text. Control over verb tenses and modal verbs is maintained well, with only occasional minor slips that never impede communication. To secure a higher band score in grammar, you should aim to experiment with a wider variety of sophisticated sentence patterns, such as inverted structures or advanced participial phrases, while maintaining this strong level of accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.