Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17
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 7.0)
The debate on whether people should try new adventures or continue familiar practices is contentious. While some people are always excited to try new things because they are adventurous, other people prefer sticking to the same old routines and places as it provides stability in their lives. In my view, occasional adventures can add some excitement to life while continuing similar routines helps maintain stability.
On the one hand, proponents of novelty maintain that exploring new things, such as visiting new places and trying new types of food, can add adventure to people's lives. It is a constructive way to escape the monotony of daily life and rekindle fading relationships. Furthermore, travelling to new destinations and trying new cuisines provide copious knowledge about new things and enriche life experiences. For example, travelling to a new country every time offers an opportunity to gain insight into a new culture and gain memorable experiences.
On the other hand, supporters of familiarity argue that it is highly important to have stability in life. This is because, with so much uncertainty in life, practicing familiar routines and visiting known places provides some peace. For instance, people order their favourite comfort food on weekends after a demanding week to avoid any surprises. Some people, particularly the older people, are more comfortable with well-established routines and practices. Thus known places, food and things can offer peace of mind in stressful lives.
In conclusion, although familiar things can offer comfort and peace, trying new things in life can eliminate the daily boredom and promote cultural awareness. Therefore, I believe people should make greater efforts to explore new things in life at least a few times a month to experience excitement and an adrenaline rush.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses all parts of the task fully and effectively. The introduction clearly acknowledges both sides of the argument—trying new things versus sticking to familiar routines—and outlines the writer's personal perspective. Body paragraph one explores the advantages of embracing novelty, such as escaping monotony and enriching life experiences, while body paragraph two discusses the psychological comfort of familiarity and stability. The conclusion synthesises these viewpoints and reiterates the writer's opinion. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay, and the main ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as trying comfort food on weekends or travelling to new countries. This performance aligns comfortably with the descriptors for Band 7.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, introduced effectively by standard cohesive markers such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. Referencing is generally clear, and the flow of ideas from general statements to specific examples works well. However, some of the cohesive devices are slightly formulaic or mechanical, and paragraphing could be manipulated with a bit more flexibility to reach the higher bands. Overall, the text is easy to follow, and the underlying logic is sound, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7 in Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow for flexibility and precision, employing less common lexical items such as 'contentious', 'monotony', 'rekindle', and 'copious'. While the vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, there is a minor collocation error in the second paragraph ('enriche life experiences', where the verb agreement is faulty). Additionally, some word choices tend toward the repetitive, such as 'new things' appearing multiple times in close proximity. Nevertheless, the writer shows an awareness of style and collocation, and the minor errors do not impede communication, comfortably securing a Band 6.5 or 7.0. A score of 7.0 is awarded as the range is adequate for discussing the prompt with some sophistication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or participial clauses like 'While some people are always excited... because they are adventurous' and 'This is because, with so much uncertainty in life...'. There is a good variety of complex structures deployed throughout the essay, and punctuation is generally handled well. There are occasional minor lapses, such as 'particularly the older people' instead of 'particularly older people', but the majority of sentences are error-free, and control over grammar is strong. This performance meets the criteria for Band 7, featuring frequent error-free sentences and good grammatical control.
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.