Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people spend most of their lives living close to where they were born.

What might be the reasons for this?

What are the advantages and disadvantages?

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

 

Student answer (Band 6.0)

It is common to see most people live their lives near their birthplace. There are reasons for this and it could have some benefits as well as drawbacks.

Some reasons while people live near their birthplace is social ties. This is because they can keep contact with family members, friends, social groups as a result it is easier for them to reach out in cases of emergencies. In addition, family obligations is another reason for this. Some people stay close to their birthplace to care for their aging parents and provide assistance in anyway possible. Some are obligated to run the family business, thereby having to be around all the time.

Benefits to this are; easy access to help from family and friends in matters of emergencies. It is easier to get help from known sources as compared to unfamiliar people. In addition, stay close helps to preserve family legacy. This is because they can help out with family business, participate in extended family functions as a result of their proximity to home.

Nevertheless, there can be less personal independence and potential pressure from family expectations. As a result to close proximity to home, there is high tendency for family members to be aware of everything happening and this can lead to interferences from them. Furthermore, it can limit your exposure to diverse cultures and ways of life. With this you cannot speak of life outside your community which limits an individual on a global scale.

In conclusion, the reasons for living close to ones birthplace can range from trying to keep up with social ties as well as being obligated by family duties. There are benefits and also drawbacks to this.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all parts of the prompt: social ties and family duties are given as reasons, and you discuss both benefits and drawbacks. The examples of caring for ageing parents and helping with a family business make the reasons relevant, while the points about support and family interference show a balanced response. However, some ideas are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the claim that staying near home preserves a “family legacy” would be clearer if you explained what this involves, and the point about limited exposure to other cultures could use a specific consequence or example. Develop these points further and make the conclusion do more than repeat the main ideas by briefly weighing the advantages against the disadvantages.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for reasons, benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “In addition,” “Nevertheless,” and “In conclusion” help readers see how the ideas relate. To make the organisation more effective, ensure that each paragraph develops its central point rather than listing several related claims. Some links are awkward or unclear, such as “as a result it is easier” and “With this,” and the semicolon after “Benefits to this are” interrupts the flow. Use more precise referencing and connect each explanation directly to the point it supports; this would make the cohesion feel less formulaic while preserving the clear structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss family relationships and community life, including “social ties,” “family obligations,” “aging parents,” “personal independence,” and “diverse cultures.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some topic-specific phrasing adds variety. At times, however, word choice or collocation is imprecise: “Benefits to this” is unclear, “in anyway possible” is not the intended expression, and “high tendency” sounds unnatural in this context. “Family legacy” is also broad and could be made more specific. Aim for natural collocations and precise wording, especially when introducing a paragraph’s main point. This will make your ideas sound more fluent without requiring unnecessarily complicated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including explanations with “because,” “thereby,” and “as a result,” and the overall meaning is generally clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement and sentence construction. For example, “Some reasons … is social ties” should use a plural verb, while “family obligations is another reason” also needs agreement. The sentence beginning “This is because they can keep contact…” joins several ideas without clear punctuation, and “As a result to close proximity to home” has an incorrect grammatical pattern. There are also missing possessive forms in “ones birthplace.” Review subject–verb agreement, clause boundaries, and possessives, then proofread complex sentences to ensure each clause is complete and correctly connected.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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