Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-03

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 6.5)

Some individuals are content living their entire life in the same neighbourhood where they were born. There are various advantages and disadvantages of this and I would like to discuss both in this essay along with the possible reasons of doing so.

Firstly, I would like to start with the reasons of staying at the same place. The most significant reason I can think of is that they might be afraid to explore the unknown territory. The neighbourhood area in which they are born is familiar to those people and probably they do not want to go far, as they feel secure and safe in the area where they are born. They spent their entire childhood there and probably they know a lot of people in the neighbourhood, which prevents them from migrating to a different location.

There are various advantages as well of doing so. You can easily keep in touch with your friends in the neighbourhood. Distance is a key factor in maintaining friendships and if you move to another place, there is risk of losing friends. Another advantage could be that you are familiar with the facilities in the area and you are aware about what can be done where.

Now, moving to the disadvantages of moving away from your neighbourhood. You have to make new friends, which can be quite daunting as you grow up. In my case, it took me a couple of years to make new friends when I moved to a completely new place and I had to put in a lot of effort to do so.

In conclusion, there are various reasons like safety and comfort which can prevent someone from moving away from their place of birth. There are both advantages of known people and places, alongside some disadvantages of starting afresh when migrating to a new neighbourhood.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt: reasons, advantages, and disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the reasons for staying are limited to fear of the unknown and familiarity, which could be expanded with more depth. The discussion of advantages and disadvantages is clear but lacks specific, well-developed examples beyond a personal anecdote. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced arguments, such as the economic benefits of staying in one place or the cultural impact of migration. The position is clear, but the overall depth of the analysis is consistent with a mid-range band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Another advantage', and 'In conclusion', which help the flow. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the referencing could be more sophisticated. For example, the link between the reasons and the advantages could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on common phrases like 'various advantages', 'significant reason', and 'different location'. While the meaning is always clear, there is little attempt to use less common or more sophisticated lexical items. Phrases like 'unknown territory' and 'starting afresh' are good, but overall, the range is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are grammatically correct, and errors are rare and do not impede communication. For example, 'The neighbourhood area in which they are born is familiar' is a well-constructed complex sentence. However, there is a lack of variety in the types of complex structures used. The punctuation is generally accurate. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical forms, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, with greater consistency.

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

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