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)

It is often argued that individuals tend to change their habits and opinions frequently through time. In my opinion, having different percepectives is mainly due to life experience and their desire to cope with the new generation lifestyle.

The main reason for old people to acquiring new opinions and habits is life experience they have gained through time. That is, those individuals encountred a wide range of situations and obstacles that forged their personalities. They become able to make informed decisions and avoid hidden mistakes confidently. For example, my father ,who used to be a teacher, provides me with advice about class management based on his own experience and mistakes. Therefore, elderly people are knowledgable about real, factual experiences wich genuinely altred their behaviours and opinions.

An other reason, is their desire to accomodate the up to dates. They try to learn new habits, such as shopping online or being open minded about controversal or forbiden topics . In order not to contradict with the era when they live and to avoid conflicts with new generation, many grand parents adopt modern lifestyle. Also, they try to benifits their choldren from their wisedom

In conclusion, I think that elder people are not only changing their habits or opinions,but they become wise and knowledgable about what is right and wrong thanks to their life experience. Also, they are blending to cope with the modern life expectations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you agree that older people change, linking this to life experience and adapting to younger generations. Both reasons are relevant, and the example of your father advising you about class management helps illustrate how experience can shape behaviour. However, the ideas are only partly developed. The second reason—adopting modern habits to avoid conflict—is asserted but would benefit from a specific example and clearer explanation of how this represents change over time. The conclusion also shifts towards older people becoming wise, rather than directly summarising how their habits and opinions change. The response is 16 words below the required minimum, so there is limited space to develop the points fully. Add detail and examples to address the task more completely.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion. This makes the overall line of argument easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “For example,” “Therefore,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “An other reason, is” introduces the second point awkwardly, while “Also, they try to benifits their choldren from their wisedom” is not clearly connected to the preceding claim. The conclusion repeats the main ideas but does not fully resolve the argument. Improve progression by explaining each reason in sequence—claim, explanation, example—and use pronouns and linking phrases only where their references are clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “life experience,” “informed decisions,” “controversial topics,” and “modern lifestyle,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “cope with” and “accommodate.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause: “percepectives,” “encountred,” “knowledgable,” “altred,” and “benifits” are examples. Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise, including “up to dates,” “blend to cope,” and “factual experiences.” Aim for accurate spelling and natural collocations, and choose wording that expresses the intended meaning precisely. Proofreading and checking unfamiliar phrases in context would improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “my father, who used to be a teacher,” and a reason clause beginning “In order not to contradict…”. The main ideas remain understandable, but grammatical errors occur across the response. For example, “The main reason for old people to acquiring” has an incorrect verb pattern, and “An other reason, is” has faulty sentence punctuation and structure. In “they try to benifits their choldren,” the verb form does not fit after “to.” There are also inconsistent spaces around commas and missing punctuation, as in “opinions,but.” Work on verb patterns, sentence boundaries, and comma placement, then proofread each sentence for a complete and accurate structure.

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