Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-28

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)

It is quite obvious that people change their habits and opinions in their old age. I completely agree with that because their brain's power diminishes when they are old, and change is actually good for the rest of their lives.

People change their opinions and habits during the old age because their mental power reduces. As they get older, their brains do not remember what they were doing in the past, and they even forget how they were used to think about different situations. This is because of their old age, and their brains do not have the same amount of energy as they used to have during their young lives. For example, it has been shown in studies that old people do not have enough memory as compared to young people, and they forget about things frequently.

The other reason is that old people have learnt throughout their young age that change is a good way to enjoy their lives. This is why old people change their old habits and try something new, and similarly they think about situations differently as they learnt a lot from their past experiences. When they change their habits and mentality, it brings more happiness in the rest of their lives. For example, older people have more patience, and they might be impatient during their adult lives. Therefore, they learnt that being patient is good to enjoy the rest of their lives, and this would be a positive change.

In conclusion, it is crystal clear that older people change their past habits and opinions because their intellectual abilities reduce, and they know that change is good to enjoy their remaining lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that people change habits and opinions as they get older, supporting this view with reasons related to cognitive decline and life experience. However, the development of ideas leans towards sweeping generalizations—for instance, asserting that old people forget how they used to think due to diminishing brain power. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat repetitive and lack the depth expected for a higher band. The position is maintained throughout, but the arguments regarding memory loss as the primary driver for opinion shifts could be more nuanced. Overall, it satisfies the basic requirements of Task Response at a Band 6 level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different arguments. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes mechanical, and cohesive devices are repetitive. Phrases like 'The other reason is that' and 'For example' are relied upon heavily. Referencing is generally clear, but transitional links between sentences could be more varied and flexible to achieve a smoother flow. It meets the criteria for Band 6.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, with terms like 'diminishes', 'intellectual abilities', and 'experiences'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are accompanied by awkward collocations or word choices, such as 'brain's power diminishes' or 'mental power reduces' instead of 'cognitive decline'. There are also occasional minor inaccuracies, but these do not impede communication, as the meaning remains clear throughout the response. Spelling is accurate, placing the lexical resource firmly at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing subordinate clauses such as 'As they get older, their brains do not remember...' and 'When they change their habits...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as 'how they were used to think' instead of 'how they used to think', and 'enough memory as compared to' rather than 'as much memory as'. Punctuation is generally sound, and while errors are present, they rarely impede communication. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

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