Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-06
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)
As you said its common between people to change their habits and their opinions as they get older, and personally i agree with this idea, because people gain more experience and knowledge year by year, and thia knowledge may lead them to reconsider their usual ideas, and some events may show them how wrong for believing in some old thoughts, or points of view, growing older give the opportunity to see new things and have new experiences that might let people discover new viewpoints and it opens the door for discussions about the personal believes, besides, getting older and seeing the years passing means alot of things might change and many things will develop and change like old traditionals and rules... Many things will change and won't stay the same which will logically lead to a big change in every person's mindset, even the habits that used to be fun and daily might become boring or harder or not being as available as ut used to be, but this doesn't applies to everyone, because there's some people who would never change no matter what, either because they are deeply related to these opinions and habits or they are just afraid of changing, alot of people would rather stay in the same point without risking with new beliefs, for example my dad changed so much in the last years whether he wanted or not, but he did and he's not the same person i knew 20 years ago, he left alot of habits like football just because he's old now.
That's why i always defend the idea of changing
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on whether people change their habits and opinions as they get older. The writer agrees with the statement and provides relevant ideas to support this view, such as gaining life experience, encountering new events, and societal development. However, some of these ideas are under-developed or repetitive, as seen when the writer repeatedly mentions that things change without introducing distinct sub-points. The personal example regarding the writer's father is relevant and helps illustrate the argument, but the overall development remains somewhat basic. The response also meets the minimum word count successfully.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The response displays some organization, but lacks a clear overall progression and proper paragraphing structure. The entire body of text, spanning 259 words, is presented as a single massive paragraph, which makes the flow mechanical and difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are inadequate or overused, relying heavily on consecutive coordinating conjunctions like 'and', 'besides', and 'but' rather than sophisticated signposting or clear logical transitions. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly with pronoun usage and run-on structures that connect multiple distinct thoughts without proper separation.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The lexical resource is limited but minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'reconsider', 'viewpoints', and 'mindset', but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as writing 'traditionals' instead of 'traditions' and 'deeply related' instead of 'deeply attached' or 'committed'. Spelling and word-form errors, including 'thia' instead of 'this', 'believes' instead of 'beliefs', and 'applies' without proper subject-verb agreement, occur throughout the text and cause some minor difficulty for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The grammatical range is limited, consisting largely of a single overly long, run-on sentence structure linked by commas rather than distinct sentences separated by proper punctuation. While the writer attempts complex sentences, they are often faulty, featuring punctuation errors such as comma splices and missing periods. Frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and agreement—such as 'growing older give' instead of 'gives', and 'alot'—persist throughout the text and can cause difficulty for the reader in parsing the intended meaning.
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