Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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)

I strongly agree, with the statement that most of the people alter both their habits and opinions when they are getting older. Because the reason behind this is the shift and energy depletion that is observed in their both mental and physical health as the time passes. Most of the people when they are young, are able to adapt their habits regarding to their rules and cultures, and are stronger to make decisions and opinions of their own. However, when people reach old age, their bodies are often unable to cope with the challenges they could easily handle when they were young.

For example: most people go for a morning walks and practise yoga in the park, because they are physically strong enough to do so in their young ages, and are concious about their health. But with the growing age, they are more into the responsibilities which make them less consious for themselves. Due to this reason, their priority changes with respect to the time as they have much more things to do.

While on the other hand, age factor is the one thing that changes the opinion of the people as well. For example: In younger age they thought that money is the most valuable thing through which anyone can buy the happiness, peace and comfort. But with the growing age, they believe that the most valuable thing in the world is health and time, and this realization happens to the people when they are struggling with their health and time.

On conclusion to the above debate, age factor and health is the one of the factor which plays important role in changing the habit and opinions of the people.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your response addresses all parts of the task by clearly stating your agreement and exploring how both habits and opinions change over time. Your position is evident throughout the writing. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others, which is typical of this band level. For instance, while you provide a reasonable explanation regarding how health priorities shift as people age, your argument about opinions changing regarding money and health could be extended further with more precise support. To move higher, ensure that every main idea is thoroughly explored and supported with deeply detailed examples rather than general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a coherent overall arrangement to your essay, with clear attempts to introduce paragraphs and sequence your ideas using phrases like 'For example' and 'While on the other hand'. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, and the overall progression lacks seamless links. For example, your concluding phrase 'On conclusion to the above debate' is awkward and disrupts the flow. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'Due to this reason, their priority changes with respect to the time as they have much more things to do.' To improve, you should use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure paragraph transitions are smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'depletion', 'responsibilities', and 'realization'. You make several attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are sometimes accompanied by inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as writing 'with the growing age' instead of 'as people age', or 'go for a morning walks'. Furthermore, phrases like 'money is the most valuable thing through which anyone can buy the happiness' contain minor lexical slips. To reach a higher band, focus on refining collocations and expanding your use of precise, natural phrasing without relying on repetitive structures.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

Your response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating that you can construct multi-clause sentences such as 'However, when people reach old age, their bodies are often unable to cope with the challenges they could easily handle when they were young.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including unnecessary articles and awkward prepositions, such as 'most of the people alter' instead of 'most people alter', and 'regarding to their rules'. These errors, however, rarely impede communication and do not obscure your overall meaning. To achieve a higher score, increase your control over complex sentence patterns and minimize minor structural slips.

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

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