Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-21

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people like to try new things, for example, places to visit and types of food. Other people prefer to keep doing things they are familiar with.

Discuss both these attitudes and give your own opinion.

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

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Some people incline towards experiencing new ventures while some do not. This essay will discuss the reasons of both attitudes and will present my opinion why I believe that striking a balance between both is the key to a fulfilling life.

On the one hand, some sections of society doing a well-paid job and have handsome disposable incomes incline towards spending more on discretionary expenses which include new tourist places and restaurants. Moreover, human beings have innate desire to explore unknown cultures. For example, costly international aviation and accommodation are financially viable for affluent families. Thus, the financial freedom ignites this desire of knowing the unknown and travelling abroad to enjoy famous tourist spots and cuisines.

One the other hand, some people do not try fresh experiences and continue to revisit the places they once enjoyed before. Main reason for this is, familiarity provides sense of security. In addition, fear of wasting hard-earned money, in case, new food or destination didn't worth their expectation, prevent them from breaking the monotony of life. Consequently, they do not step out of their comfort zone and enjoy the experiences they are familiar with.

In my opinion, striking a balance between both behaviours is the key to a balanced and fulfilling life. Collecting or taking reviews for a new hotel or tourist place from reliable sources and then visiting them to ensure that money would not be wasted and having some reserves to spend on vacations can fulfill the desire to experience new cultures.

In conclusion, while financial freedom gives the opportunity to explore new cultures, fear of wasting money remains a concern for many. However, to live a fulfilling and satisfied life, individuals should strike a balance between both attitudes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both attitudes and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and logically developed. For example, the explanation of why people prefer familiarity—citing the 'sense of security' and the 'fear of wasting hard-earned money'—is well-reasoned. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the development could be slightly more nuanced; for instance, the discussion on why people seek new experiences could be expanded beyond just financial capability to include psychological benefits like personal growth or adaptability.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'Consequently' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there is occasional awkwardness in phrasing, such as 'Some sections of society doing a well-paid job', which lacks a proper verb structure. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. You use some good collocations like 'discretionary expenses', 'financial freedom', and 'breaking the monotony'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward word choices, such as 'didn't worth their expectation' (should be 'weren't worth') and 'incline towards experiencing new ventures' (a bit unnatural). While you demonstrate a sufficient range to convey meaning with precision, the use of less common lexical items is somewhat limited, preventing a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'some sections of society doing a well-paid job' (missing 'are'), 'human beings have innate desire' (missing 'an'), and 'didn't worth' (incorrect verb form). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the writing from being considered error-free. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct usage of articles and auxiliary verbs.

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.