Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 13 · 2026-09-18

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Living in a country where you have to speak a foreign language can cause serious social problems, as well as practical problems.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Residing in an area where one is not fluent in the mother tongue may cause substantial social issues alongwith practical problems. In my personal opinion this statement is relatively correct since lack of speaking skills may cause an inexcusable misunderstanding. Moreover, loose grip on the subject also results in poor reading skills which can also ultimately lead to confusion and stress.

If a person is unable to speak the foreign language comfortably and fluently then they are prone to socially embarassing situations. Most of the time they are unable to grasp the situation and can thus, never answer or explain themselves eloquently. Some time ago, I was visiting Japan where Isaw two people in a heated argument, one was a local resident and the other was a foreigner like me. Upon investigating the situation so that i may de-escalate it I learned that the foreigner was simply trying to say that he found the shop cute however his poor pronunciation made it sound as if he had cursed at the local. Therefore, it made me realise that sometimes not knowing the local language can land you in hot waters.

Living in a country where you have to communicate in a foreign language also causes numerous practical problems. Asking for instructions, directions, sign posts of any labelling becomes next to impossible if the person is not a master of the language. When my friend came back from a trip to Korea she brought back a great amount of snacks and sweet treats for us. However, since she was not fluent in korean she was unable to ask if the food items were acceptable for Muslims. Hence, the items she brought back were not halal and as a Muslim family we were unable to consume them. As a result, all those snacks had to be thrown away and all the money spent on them was wasted.

Therefore, I truly believe that having to speak a foreign language can cause serious social and practical problems. Poor speaking proficiency may land a person into a misunderstanding or even render them helpless when making a decision.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, expressing a clear position that living with a foreign language causes serious social and practical problems. The student supports this position with relevant personal examples, such as the anecdote about the misunderstanding in Japan and the story about the non-halal snacks bought in Korea. These ideas are sufficiently extended, although the analysis of why these issues occur is somewhat generalised. The writing meets the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.0; however, because the ideas, while relevant, rely primarily on personal anecdotes rather than a broader sociological analysis, the response aligns best with Band 6.5 rounded to 6.0 based on standard whole/half band increments, or firmly at 6.0 due to the moderate level of task development where some arguments are slightly anecdotal rather than thoroughly expanded.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response is arranged coherently with a clear overall progression from introduction to social problems, practical problems, and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct paragraphs for each major point. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, such as 'Moreover', 'Most of the time', and 'Hence'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally somewhat mechanical, for instance with transitions like 'Upon investigating the situation so that i may de-escalate it I learned'. The progression is logical, but the management of cohesive ties lacks the flexibility of a higher band. Therefore, this performance fits the Band 6 descriptor well, showing a coherent overall arrangement despite some minor mechanical cohesion issues.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'inexcusable misunderstanding', 'de-escalate', 'eloquently', and 'proficiency'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and spelling, such as writing 'alongwith' instead of 'along with', 'loose grip' instead of 'weak grasp', and 'embarassing' instead of 'embarrassing'. Furthermore, the phrase 'land in hot waters' contains a minor pluralisation error (should be 'hot water'). These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 6, as the vocabulary use shows clear limitations and occasional inaccuracies when attempting more sophisticated language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'If a person is unable to speak the foreign language comfortably and fluently then they are prone to socially embarassing situations.' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses throughout the text, including missing commas after introductory clauses, capitalization errors ('Isaw', 'i', 'korean'), and pronoun agreement issues ('a person... they'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede overall communication. The presence of both error-free sentences and frequent minor structural and punctuation errors places this response comfortably in the Band 6 category.

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