Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-11
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)
Nowadays, it is not very uncommon for people to change their opinions and habits as they reach adulthood. I agree with this statement because peoples' opinions change after they experience new cultures, while as far as habits goes, they tend to alter with people you spend most of your free time with.
One of the main reasons for this would be that when a person visits a foreign country whom he probably had a negative view, that particular person can be quite suprised to see that his opinion was never the reality. Furthermore, individuals who are quick to believe whatever they hear about someone and fixate their opinion, they probably end up being the most surprised by finding out that the things they were told were never infact the truth. For instance, most people have an ill-informed view about the hospitality and safety of some asian countries, but whenever a westerner visits one of these countries, they are blow away but the sheer hospitality and gratitude of the asians. Therefore, people should always base their opinions on experiences rather than just news.
Another important aspect to consider is that people's habits change with time due to their friends and families. This is because, an individual who wasn't very fond of a particular type of vegetable growing up, might end up liking it when he gets older. For example, we see that a huge number of people are shifting to plant-based diets, even those who grew up eating meat. Consequently, this shift in food preferences are a huge reason why people can change their eating habits.
In conclusion, we definitely see a change in people's habits and opinions with time, and this change is hugely because of their overall experiences and friends and family members.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
Your position is clear from the introduction: you agree that opinions and habits change, and the two body paragraphs address each part of the prompt. The examples about travel changing views of Asian countries and changing food preferences make the discussion relevant. The explanation of opinions is more developed, particularly where you describe how direct experience can challenge assumptions. By contrast, the habits paragraph mainly focuses on diet and does not fully explain how friends and family influence habits, despite this being the reason stated in the introduction. The conclusion restates your view but adds little synthesis. To strengthen the response, explain the social influence more directly and extend the habits example with a specific cause or personal illustration.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, two focused body paragraphs and a conclusion. The progression from changing opinions to changing habits is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Furthermore,” “For instance” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. However, some connections are not fully logical or precise. The introduction attributes habit changes to the people someone spends time with, while the body paragraph shifts to changing food preferences without clearly linking that example to friends or family. The sentence beginning “individuals who are quick to believe…” is also long and awkwardly connected. Make the relationship between each main idea and its example explicit, and use referencing and transitions more naturally rather than relying mainly on formulaic signposts.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss opinions, experience and lifestyle, including “ill-informed view,” “hospitality,” “plant-based diets” and “food preferences.” These choices help communicate the main points, and the meaning remains clear. There are, however, several inaccurate or unnatural choices that limit precision: “not very uncommon” is an awkward way to express frequency, “blow away” is used incorrectly in this context, and “gratitude” does not convey the intended quality of welcoming visitors. Spelling slips such as “suprised,” “infact” and “asian” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe visitors as “impressed by the warmth and hospitality” they encounter.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “because,” “when” and “who,” and most ideas can be understood without difficulty. Some grammatical errors remain. In the introduction, “peoples’ opinions” should be “people’s opinions,” and “as far as habits goes” has a subject–verb agreement problem. The sentence “individuals who are quick to believe whatever they hear …, they probably end up” has a faulty structure because it repeats the subject. There are also agreement issues in “this shift in food preferences are” and a comma error in “This is because, an individual…”. Improve control by checking subject–verb agreement, avoiding duplicated subjects after introductory clauses, and reviewing punctuation around subordinate clauses.
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