Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-15

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 tend to switch their habits and opinions with their age. In this essay, I will discuss that whether I agree with this statement or not.

Motivation - People takes motivation from their peers in different aspects of life. Some of them are used to of drinking evening tea in the balcony and wants no change for a long period of time but, for instance, the motivation to renovate the balcony by any friend enables them to switch their habit of sitting in the balcony for tea in the evenings and their opinions regarding 'no change policy'

Likes and Dislikes - With the growing age a substantial proportion of the population changes their likes and dislikes. So with time, they change their suggestions aswell. Making new habits and advising something out of the box acording to their preferences. For example, movie choices, children loves to watch animated movies while with the growing age they switch their opinions to watching original rom-coms, action or thriller films.

Future goals - Young kids often dreams about becoming an astronaut, a doctor or an engineer but when they grows older they have different point of views regarding career choices. In addition to this, the habits of toddlers vary with time as they tend to change them. For instance, playing outdoor games as a child while indoor games in their teens and so on and so forth.

I standby with this statement as individuals do change their lifestyle, habits, opinions and suggestions with their growing age and there is nothing wrong in that. One should have opinions and habits which encourages him/her in the betterment of the future and to go along with the society.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that habits and opinions change with age, and the examples about career ambitions, entertainment preferences and leisure activities are relevant. The response also addresses both habits and opinions, especially in the discussion of changing film preferences and childhood goals. However, some points are not fully explained. The balcony example focuses mainly on a friend’s influence rather than showing how getting older leads to a change, and the paragraph about likes and dislikes moves quickly from preferences to giving advice. To strengthen the response, explain the link between age and each example—for instance, how new responsibilities or experiences alter priorities—and develop fewer examples in greater depth. The conclusion restates your view but could briefly summarise the main reasons supporting it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, three body paragraphs organised around reasons, and a concluding statement. Headings such as “Motivation,” “Likes and Dislikes” and “Future goals” help readers identify the focus of each section, and examples generally follow the relevant point. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt: the discussion of balcony renovation shifts to a “no change policy,” while the likes-and-dislikes paragraph moves from preferences to suggestions without a clear link. Some connections are also mechanical, including repeated uses of “For example” and “In addition to this.” Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example explicitly to the claim it supports. Avoid heading-style labels in a formal essay, and use referencing and transitions more naturally to make the argument flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a reasonable range of topic vocabulary, including “motivation,” “preferences,” “career choices,” “lifestyle” and “substantial proportion.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and some phrases show an attempt to be precise. However, several word choices and collocations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “switch their habit,” “takes motivation,” “used to of drinking,” and “standby with this statement.” There are also spelling and form issues, including “aswell” and “acording,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for natural combinations such as “change a habit,” “be influenced by peers,” and “support this view.” Check spelling and use vocabulary that expresses the intended relationship clearly; this will make your ideas easier to follow and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while,” “but” and “as,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, errors in agreement and verb forms occur in several places: “People takes,” “children loves,” “kids often dreams,” and “when they grows older.” There are also problems with sentence construction, such as “I will discuss that whether I agree,” and the fragment beginning “Making new habits and advising something…” does not form a complete sentence. Punctuation around the balcony example is also difficult to manage. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and ensure each sentence has a complete main clause. Building accurate complex sentences from shorter ideas will improve control without sacrificing the range you are attempting.

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