Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-10

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)

While some prefer to try new things such as visiting a place and exploring types of food, others choose to do things they are familiar with. Although both attitudes have merit, I believe that exploring to unfamiliar places and flavours can not only broaden your perspectives and but also helps visitors to step out of their comfort zone.

On the one hand, supporters of trying new things at unknown places improves understanding about their history and local culture. This is largely due to the fact that experimenting with activities and food exposes to new skills and flavours. Being in an unfamiliar environment also teaches a visitor how people live and work together. For instance, an individual who prefers to travel new places on their holidays tends to be more knowledgeable about the world. If someone choose to take on these unique experiences, they are likely to become more confident and independent.

On the other hand, opponents argue that it is better to continue doing things they are familiar with. This is mainly because individuals are used to the place and culture, which makes the experience comfortable and more convenient. For example, someone who is visiting a well-known place does not have to worry about an accommodation and food. Their experience at a familar location helps them explore the city at their own pace without unnecessary stress. Repeating to explore the same places makes their overall journey more enjoyable.

In conclusion, some people believes in experimenting with new things, whereas others consider that keep doing things they are familiar with. From my perspective, I would argue that exploring new locations and trying new food improves your knowledge and skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both attitudes and state a clear preference for trying unfamiliar places and foods. The opening and conclusion make your position easy to identify, and the points about cultural understanding, confidence, convenience, and reduced stress are relevant. This meets the task well, with some elements showing the fuller development expected at the next level. However, several claims remain general: for example, the benefit that travel makes someone “more knowledgeable about the world” is not illustrated with a specific experience, and the familiar-travel argument could explain more fully why comfort matters to some people. Develop one or two points with a concrete example and a clearer explanation of their significance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for each attitude, and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” guide the reader through the comparison, while examples generally follow the claims they support. This gives the essay a logical progression. Some linking and reference are less smooth, however. The first body paragraph moves from culture to skills, then to confidence without fully connecting those benefits, and “Their experience” in the second body paragraph has a slightly unclear reference. The conclusion also repeats the main contrast rather than drawing the discussion together. Use transitions that show how each point relates to the previous one, and make references explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “local culture,” “unfamiliar environment,” “independent,” “convenient,” and “unnecessary stress.” These choices help communicate both the appeal of novelty and the comfort of familiar routines. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, but some word combinations and forms are inaccurate or awkward, such as “exploring to unfamiliar places,” “a familar location,” and “repeating to explore.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Check spelling and learn common collocations as complete phrases—for example, “travel to unfamiliar places” and “returning to the same destinations”—rather than translating expressions word by word.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a concession in the introduction (“Although both attitudes have merit”) and a conditional sentence beginning “If someone…”. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur across the response. For example, “supporters … improves” has a subject–verb agreement problem, “If someone choose” needs a matching verb form, and “some people believes” has an agreement error. The opening also contains a faulty parallel construction in “not only broaden … and but also helps.” In the conclusion, “consider that keep doing” lacks a correctly formed clause. Practise agreement and verb patterns, and proofread complex sentences to ensure both sides of a paired structure are grammatically parallel.

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