Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-22

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)

I totally agree that people changes their minds and habits as they get older, actually, there are numerous reasons for that, first of all, by getting older, people get more experiences, so they see things differently, and they become rational, as an example, old people know exactly what to do when they confront an obstacle, more than themselves when they were younger.

Secondly, as we grow, we take things more seriously, for instance, the younger version of us can make fun of family reunion, but the adult version, see this completely different, we think that the family time is divine, and it is the safe place to escape from the problems of our daily lives.

Then we go to our health, while we are getting older, our cells also get older, so we will confront some diseases, ilnesses and other problems, and to get over it, we need to change some of our daily habits, such as our daily intake of sugar and salt, control the amount of junk food we eat each month, and starts to care more about our physical situation by start to spring every day.

We can not deny that the environment around us can cause a lot of changes in our lives.

Finally, our chemical components change, we can consider that as a reason that affects our behaviors and change it.

To sum up, we change as the time goes by, nothing stays stable, and If there is something stays as it for a long time, then it is not normal.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the opening: you agree that people’s habits and opinions change with age. You give several relevant reasons, including greater experience, changing attitudes to family time, health needs, and environmental or biological influences. The family-reunion example helps illustrate how priorities can shift. However, some points are asserted rather than explained: the references to the environment and “chemical components” are brief, and the health paragraph focuses on habits without showing how opinions change. To strengthen the response, develop each reason with a specific example and connect it directly to both habits and opinions. The conclusion restates your view, although its final claim about stability being “not normal” is not clearly supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an identifiable overall sequence, moving from experience to priorities, health, and other influences, and signposts such as “Secondly,” “Then,” and “Finally” help readers follow the points. However, the first paragraph places several ideas in one long sentence, making the progression difficult to track. The paragraph beginning “We can not deny” is isolated and does not explain how the environment affects change; it would work better alongside a developed example. Some links are mechanical, and references such as “it” in the health discussion do not clearly identify whether they refer to diseases or problems. Use clearer paragraph breaks, one main reason per paragraph, and explicit links between each example and your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of relevant vocabulary, including “confront an obstacle,” “daily intake,” “junk food,” and “physical situation,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at more expressive language, such as describing family time as “divine” and a “safe place,” though “divine” sounds overstated in this context. Some word choices and collocations are awkward or imprecise, including “get more experiences,” “chemical components,” and “spring every day.” Spelling errors such as “ilnesses” also reduce accuracy. Aim for natural, precise phrases and check spelling; for example, explain which bodily changes you mean rather than using a vague scientific-sounding expression.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “while,” “so,” and “as,” and most of the argument remains understandable. However, some errors in agreement, verb forms, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “people changes” should be “people change,” and “the adult version, see this” needs subject–verb agreement and clearer punctuation. In “and starts to care … by start to spring,” the verb forms are not parallel; use “start to care … by starting to exercise.” Several ideas are joined into long comma-linked sentences, especially in the opening, which makes grammatical relationships less clear. Practise accurate agreement and parallel structures, and divide long sentences into shorter, controlled units.

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.