Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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)

People have different attitudes towards new experiences. While some people enjoy to explore new places and trying different types of food, others give importance to do similar things. In my opinion, trying new things is neceassary because it hepls gain experience and learn about different culture.

on the one hand, some individuals enjoy trying new things because they want to explore and gain experience. They travel from one country to another to explore their culture, traditions, food and lifestyles which makes them feel happier. Also, they visit historic buildings, monuments which they never seen before. Similarly, when people visit a different country, they try their food with different flavours in order to learn about a traditional food of a particular country. As a result, they get knowledge which makes their lives more interesting and help them become more confident.

On the other hand, Some individuals prefer familiar activities because they provide comfort and security. They worry about wasting money on something they do not enjoy or unfamiliar situations. For instance, some people like to visit same restaurant again and again because they know their food is good and the staff is also familiar. Similarly, families may prefer returing to a holiday destination they have visited before becaue they understand the local area and feel relaxed there. therefore, familiar things can reduce stress and avoid dissappointment.

In conclusion, both attitudes have advantages. however, i think people should be willing to try new things time to time inorder to get confidence and wider range of experiences. at the same time, there is nothing wrong with enjoying same and familiar things if it gives happiness.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both attitudes and give a clear opinion: the introduction favours trying new things, and the conclusion restates this while acknowledging the value of familiar activities. Both sides are supported with relevant examples, including exploring another country’s culture and returning to a known restaurant or holiday destination. The explanation that new experiences build confidence and knowledge also helps extend your position. This is a well-focused response, though some claims remain broad—for example, saying travel makes people “feel happier” is not explained in detail, and the benefits of familiarity are developed mainly through comfort and reduced stress. To strengthen the response further, explain one example more specifically and show how it supports your reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two attitudes, and a conclusion. The progression from reasons for seeking novelty to reasons for preferring familiarity is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “On the one hand,” “For instance,” and “As a result” help signal relationships between ideas. There is some flexibility in how examples are introduced, although several sentences rely on “Similarly,” and the repeated use of “because” makes parts of the discussion feel somewhat patterned. Capitalisation at the starts of sentences is also inconsistent, as in “on the one hand” and “therefore.” Varying transitions and checking sentence boundaries would make the organisation feel more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to discuss travel, food, and familiarity, including “traditions,” “lifestyles,” “historic buildings,” “comfort and security,” and “reduce stress.” These choices make the main ideas clear, but the range is not consistently precise or natural. Phrases such as “give importance to do similar things,” “learn about a traditional food,” and “try their food with different flavours” show problems with collocation or word form. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “neceassary,” “hepls,” “returing,” and “dissappointment.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit the accuracy and control of the vocabulary. Aim to learn common word partnerships and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses with “because,” “when,” and “which,” and most ideas remain understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, however. For example, “enjoy to explore” should use a gerund after “enjoy,” while “monuments which they never seen before” is missing an auxiliary verb. In “which makes them feel happier,” the verb does not agree with the plural activities described, and “help them become” also needs agreement with its subject. Articles and sentence punctuation need attention too, particularly in “visit same restaurant” and the lower-case sentence openings. Reviewing verb patterns, agreement, and articles would improve accuracy while preserving your range of structures.

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