Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-02

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 6.5)

As people age, it is commonly thought that they alter both their opinions and habits. In my opinion, I agree that a large number of people may change their opinions, but on the other hand, I believe that habits can be harder to change as people grow.

It is common for people to change their opinions as they grow up because they gain more knowledge as they experience different stages of life. This is because we all started out as kids absorbing everything taught at home, such as is what is right and wrong. For example, parents would teach kids that harming others is not right and these teachings will be instilled. But as kids grow up to teens, they will encounter situations that would change their opinions, such as being bullied at school. This would change their opinion of when to fight back against bad people trying to endanger their well-being, and would change their opinion with regards to harming other people.

On the other hand, habits could be more difficult to alter as people age because this has been practiced repeatedly and unconsciously as time passes. For example, I am taught by my parents to always clean up after everything I do, especially at home. This would translate to everywhere I go such as public areas and my workplace, leading to regularly practicing it. Additionally, bad habits could also be hard to change, such as being lazy, because that would take significantly more conscious effort to change. In my experience with myself and what I have noticed with other people, habits rarely change as people grow, as most people fail to apply the significant effort required to break the habit.

In conclusion, I partially agree with people changing both their habits and opinions as they get older. In my opinion and experience, it is more common for people to change their opinions as they gain more knowledge, but breaking habits would take a greater amount of effort.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you agree that opinions often change, while habits are harder to alter, and the conclusion restates this distinction. Both parts of the question are addressed, with relevant support such as learning from life experiences and your example of cleaning up. The discussion of habits is more fully explained than the example about opinions: the bullying scenario is relevant, but the link between it and changing views about harming others is not entirely clear. Some claims, such as habits “rarely change,” are also broad and would benefit from qualification or a more specific example. To strengthen the response, explain more precisely how each example demonstrates change over time and develop the less clear point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction states your qualified position, two body paragraphs discuss opinions and habits separately, and the conclusion summarises the argument. Paragraphing is appropriate, and signposts such as “On the other hand,” “For example,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the structure. This logical organisation is a strength. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, and repeated references to “change their opinions” and “habits” make parts of the discussion feel less fluid. The sequence in the first body paragraph—from childhood teaching to bullying and then views about harming others—could also be connected more explicitly. Use pronouns and varied transitions where the reference is clear, and make the relationship between each example and its main point more direct.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the topic, including “instilled,” “unconsciously,” “conscious effort,” and “break the habit.” These choices help express the contrast between opinions and habits, and the meaning remains clear throughout. However, some wording is repetitive or imprecise, particularly repeated uses of “change” and “opinion.” A few collocations are awkward, such as “change their opinion of when to fight back” and “translate to everywhere I go.” The phrase “significant effort” is also repeated. To improve, choose more precise expressions for shifts in beliefs and for habits carrying over into other settings, and check that word combinations sound natural in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “because,” “as,” and “such as,” and most sentences communicate the intended meaning. There is some control of longer structures, for example the sentence explaining how repeated practice makes habits difficult to alter. Some grammatical errors remain. In “such as is what is right and wrong,” the clause is incorrectly formed; “such as what is right and wrong” would be clearer. In “I am taught by my parents,” the present tense does not fit the past-to-present example as naturally as “I was taught.” The sentence beginning “This would change their opinion of when…” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between “opinion” and the following clause. Review clause construction and tense consistency to make complex sentences more accurate.

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