Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-25
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 strongly argued that people often change their habits and beliefs as they are getting older. Honestly, I highly agree with this statement due to various reasons which will be demonstrated in this essay in the following paragraphs.
The first and foremost reason why I agree with this phenomenon is that individuals change their mindset while working, studying at differnet places. They learn everything about their precious time, money and study. As they grown up, they understand that what is better for them or what is not . For instance, international students always change their habits. In their home country, they rely on their parents for the source of income , preparation of food and for all necessary things. However, they start handling all works by themselves as as they migrate to foreign countries. Therefore, changes in habits always make the man perfect.
Another compelling justification is that individuals start realizing about the mistakes they ever had done in their life. It has a great impact on their life. It completely allow them to change their opinions. Most of the time, humans find better results by changing their opinions. To exemplify, a toddler normally has playing habits and not well opinions to suggest an advice to help anybody. With the passage of time, as that similar toddler grown up , gained experienced and corrected his/her mistakes by following measures. Consequently, it is clear that that toddler has changed the habits and opinions.
To conclude, it has a mixed bag of merits and demerits. I firmly believe that opinions and habits suould be changed as it show the lifestyle and standars of a human. Mostly, disrespectful people has negative habits.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
Your position is clear: you agree that habits and opinions change with age, and both body paragraphs give relevant reasons. The example of international students becoming more independent supports the point about changing habits. However, the discussion of opinions is less fully explained: the toddler example is difficult to follow and does not clearly show how experience changes a person’s views. The conclusion also introduces “merits and demerits” without discussing both sides, which weakens the consistency of your response. To strengthen the essay, explain each reason more precisely and connect each example directly to the question, while maintaining your clear agreement throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “The first and foremost reason,” “Another compelling justification” and “To conclude” help readers identify the stages of your argument. However, some links are mechanical, and the progression within the second body paragraph is unclear, particularly from “mistakes they ever had done” to the toddler example. Repeated wording such as “change” and “habits and opinions” also makes the development feel less smooth. Use clearer links between claims and examples, and make pronouns such as “that similar toddler” refer unambiguously to the person being discussed.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “mindset,” “international students,” “realizing” and “opinions,” and some choices help express your main ideas. However, the range is not always controlled: phrases such as “learn everything about their precious time” and “not well opinions” are unclear or unnatural, while “compelling justification” sounds more formal than the surrounding language. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, including “differnet,” “suould” and “standars.” These do not prevent the reader from understanding the overall argument, but they reduce precision. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling and word forms carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, using clauses introduced by “while,” “as” and “however.” Nevertheless, errors occur frequently, especially in verb forms, agreement and sentence construction. For example, “As they grown up” should be “As they grow up,” and “It completely allow them” needs subject–verb agreement (“allows”). The sentence beginning “With the passage of time” has several problems, including “toddler grown up” and “gained experienced,” which make the meaning harder to follow. There are also punctuation and spacing issues, such as the space before the full stop in “not .” Practise accurate basic clauses before adding more complex structures.
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.