Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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)

In this ever changing world, people differ greatly in where they want to spend their most part of their lives. While some may try to live on the place where they were born, others may want to live in a completely different place or even country. There are several reasons behind it and it can be both advantageous as well disadvantageous. In the essay I am going to explore about the reasons for this trend and its benefits and limitations.

Individuals have various reasons for staying in the same location. Starting with, financial reasons. Some people are financially weak that halt them to leave their place and reside in the expensive cities. Moreover, many have their family business that they aim to take over after their elders. For example, in my town there is a 30 years old convenience store that has been continuously taken over by generations of the family and our whole town relies on it for our day-to-day groceries.

Now talking about the advantages, the first one is staying close to loved ones. Individuals like to spend their time with their parents or grandparents and them too can see their children grow up and take over the family.

However, it may halt the opportunity to grow more. For instance, staying at the same place over the years may led to limited opportunities available for folks, while travelling to various cities and gaining experience may improve the general knowledge of one that may help him in the long run.

To recapitulate, due to the family businesses or financial instability people may opt to continuously reside on the same location where they were born. While it may be beneficial for individuals to stay close with their loved ones, it also negatively impact the opportunity they might get to a newer location in the long run.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt: reasons for staying, advantages, and disadvantages. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on financial reasons is brief, and the advantages section lacks depth beyond family proximity. While the position is clear, the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. The essay covers the requirements, but the analysis remains at a surface level, which is characteristic of a Band 6.0 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Starting with', 'Moreover', 'However', and 'To recapitulate'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise (e.g., 'them too can see their children grow up'). The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure helps the reader follow the argument, though the flow could be smoother with more varied linking phrases.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'recapitulate' and 'instability', but there are also instances of awkward word choice or collocation, such as 'financially weak' instead of 'financially constrained' or 'halt them to leave' instead of 'prevent them from leaving'. The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'live on the place' (should be 'live in the place'), 'may led to' (should be 'may lead to'), and 'negatively impact' (should be 'negatively impacts'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and punctuation is generally functional but basic.

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

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