Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-29

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 often argued that people spend most of their lives staying close to where they were brought up. I think the reasons for this approach are; firstly, they are afraid of change. Secondly, they have not gotten the opportunity to migrate to another location.

People have the fear of the unknown. Besides, they are already conversant with the city of their birth. For instance, an individual who has lived in Lagos from birth will find it very challenging to stay in another town. This will result to reduced relocation efforts. In addition, there is little or no opportunity for them to relocate especially on global adventure. For example, my brother had the idea of travelling to the UK one day but he have not gotten the chance yet, This made him remain in our countryside after school.

However, I think one of the major advantages of living in a place for a long time is the healthy friendship built over time. People already have a community which gives them a sense of belonging leading to a safe community. For example, I have lived in Enugu from childhood and relocating to another town gives me a cold feet. This results leads to building friendships and mental well-being.

Furthermore, the disadvantages of staying at a location for too long promotes lack of exposure. People tends to be limited with opportunity and information about international employment. A classic example is a graduate who is interested in international jobs. He is likely to loose information because he is not in the right environment.

In conclusion, I think individuals do not consider relocation because of they are scared of the change that comes with migration. However, there are merits and demerits of these practice. One of the advantages is that they have built a community for themselves and they would not find it easy to relocate. The disadvantage remains lack of exposure and lose of international opportunities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt: reasons, advantages, and disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as the fear of the unknown and the benefits of community. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the explanation of why people stay is limited to two brief points, and the discussion on disadvantages could be more thoroughly explored with more sophisticated reasoning. The position is clear throughout, but the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6.0 response, as some points are stated rather than fully extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'firstly', 'in addition', 'however', and 'furthermore'. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'This will result to reduced relocation efforts' and 'This results leads to building friendships'. While the paragraphing is sufficient, the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a higher band. The referencing is generally clear, though the connection between ideas within paragraphs occasionally feels repetitive.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common items, such as 'conversant', 'relocation', and 'mental well-being'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'result to' instead of 'result in', 'global adventure' (which is slightly unnatural in this context), and 'lose' instead of 'loss'. These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a limited range of precise vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('People tends to be limited', 'he have not gotten'), and punctuation errors (a comma splice in '...chance yet, This made him...'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and the frequency of errors is noticeable throughout the text.

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

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