Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-23

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 7.5)

Many people spend most of their lives living close to the place where they were born. There are several reasons for this, and although this lifestyle has some disadvantages, I believe its advantages are significant.

One major reason is the strong sense of familiarity and belonging that people develop in their hometown. They may have close relationships with family members, childhood friends and neighbours, which can make them reluctant to move elsewhere. In addition, people may have stable jobs, affordable housing or family businesses in their local area. Moving to another city or country can also be expensive and stressful, particularly for those with children or elderly relatives to support.

Living close to one’s birthplace has several advantages. First, people can receive emotional and practical support from their families, especially during difficult times. Second, they are likely to know the local community well and feel comfortable with the culture and lifestyle. For example, someone who remains in a small town may be able to rely on relatives for childcare and maintain lifelong friendships.

However, there are also disadvantages. Staying in the same place can limit a person’s career opportunities and exposure to different cultures. For instance, a talented graduate living in a small town may have fewer opportunities than someone who moves to a major city. Furthermore, remaining in a familiar environment may prevent people from becoming more independent and adaptable.

In conclusion, family ties, familiarity and financial stability are common reasons why people remain near their birthplace. Although this can restrict opportunities, the strong social support and sense of belonging it provides can make it a worthwhile choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt: reasons, advantages, and disadvantages are all clearly identified and discussed. The position is consistent throughout the essay. Ideas are well-developed, such as the mention of 'emotional and practical support' as an advantage and 'limited career opportunities' as a disadvantage. The structure is logical, and the content is relevant to the topic. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific, nuanced examples or explore the implications of these choices in greater depth, perhaps by contrasting different demographics or societal contexts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is well-organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is logical. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'First', 'Second', 'However', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The referencing is clear, and the flow of information is smooth. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the transition between the advantages and disadvantages is handled well, ensuring the reader can follow the argument without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary used is accurate and appropriate for the task. The student demonstrates a good range of topic-specific language, such as 'familiarity', 'belonging', 'financial stability', and 'adaptable'. While the vocabulary is sufficient and precise, it is generally functional rather than sophisticated. To achieve a higher band, the student should aim to incorporate more idiomatic expressions or less common collocations that demonstrate a more flexible and nuanced command of the language, moving beyond standard academic phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The essay displays a good control of grammatical structures. There is a mix of simple and complex sentences, such as 'Although this lifestyle has some disadvantages, I believe its advantages are significant.' The punctuation is accurate, and there are very few grammatical errors. The sentences are generally error-free, which indicates a high level of control. To reach the highest band, the student could experiment with a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as inversion or more sophisticated conditional clauses, to demonstrate greater grammatical flexibility.

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

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