Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-13

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)

Individuals commonly change their habits and opinion as they age and I agree with this despite some people saying this is not true.

Habits are things that are picked up at different stages of life, hence as people learn new things, they choose to leave old habits behind because the new ones may seem more beneficial and follow trends. Take for example, an article I read in a local newspaper stated that for over the past eight years people who smoked cigerettes for years decided to stop doing it and and embrace vaping instead because it was rumored that it was a better alternative and less damaging to their health.

In addition, individuals feel that adapting to new patterns, may make them appear more presentable and acceptable. I once had a collegue who addressed almost every difficult situation with arguements or raising his voice. Everyone at my office avoided him and he even got a query because of that behaviour and eventually he stopped aproaching things in that manner when he realised that it pused people away from him. It was eventually discovered that it was picked up from his father when he was a child and he never thought of it as something bad, but rather as a means of him being heard and respected.

In conclusion, while some persons may be of the view that patterns are not changed as people get older, I believe the opposite is true because they believe it makes them more acceptable and presentable. New patterns may also seem more advantageous in voke.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear from the opening: you agree that people change their habits and opinions as they age, and the conclusion restates this view. You give two relevant examples—a colleague changing his confrontational behaviour and people moving from smoking to vaping—which help illustrate changing habits. However, the response focuses much more on habits than opinions, so one part of the topic is not fully addressed. The examples also need clearer explanation of how ageing itself leads to change; the colleague’s story, for instance, mainly shows the effect of workplace consequences. Develop a separate point about how experience or maturity can alter people’s opinions, and explain each example’s connection to getting older.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The paragraphs each have a central focus, and transitions such as “In addition” and “In conclusion” make the progression easy to follow. Some connections are less precise or repetitive, however. The first body paragraph moves from learning new things to following trends and then to vaping without clearly showing how these points relate to age. In the second, “It was eventually discovered” has an unclear reference, and the conclusion repeats the ideas of being “acceptable and presentable” without adding a final implication. Use more explicit links between each example and your main claim, and make references to people and events unmistakable.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “adapting to new patterns,” “beneficial,” and “presentable,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are, however, noticeable spelling and word-choice problems that reduce precision: “cigerettes,” “collegue,” “arguements,” “aproaching,” and “pused” are misspelled, while “in voke” appears to be an incorrect or unclear phrase. Some expressions are also awkward, such as “picked up at different stages of life” and “a query” for a workplace reprimand. Proofread carefully and choose collocations that express your meaning directly. More precise vocabulary for changing beliefs and behaviour would also help you address both parts of the question.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because” and “when,” and the main ideas remain understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, particularly in longer sentences. For example, “Habits are things that are picked up at different stages of life, hence as people learn…” joins ideas awkwardly; divide it or use a clearer linking structure. In “adapting to new patterns, may make them appear,” the comma incorrectly separates the subject from its verb. There are also agreement and form issues in “their habits and opinion” and “it was picked up from his father … and he never thought of it,” where the reference is unclear. Check punctuation, plural forms, and pronoun references, and aim for accurate complex sentences rather than joining too many ideas together.

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.