Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-07

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)

Nowadays, in today's modern world the competition has increased significantly in each field from studies, job to earning great position and money in the carrier than other mortals. But sometimes, people tend to get attached to their hometown or they wants to stay nearby for many certain reasons. There are both merits and demerits of this situation. Both will be elucidated in the following paragraphs.

On the one hand, most people prefer living nearby because they are emotionally attached to that place emotionally due to their friend circle and family. Living close to the born place generates a sense of comfortableness and security. The biggest advantage to live around is that people can often visit their born place incase of homesickness. As living at a new place and working in different environment often creates a mental pressure which can adversely affect the mental and physical health. For example, according to the survey taken by Google company in India, most of the employees working from home or living nearby their hometown found it easier to stay focused and work efficiently, whereas others who live at larger distance found it less focused as they constantly felt homesick and worried about their family. Another most beneficial thing about it is that they can eventually help their family in case of medical emergency situation as the travelling becomes is much lesser and cheaper comparatively living at a long distance.

On the other hand, when mortals choose to live close to their birthplace the largest downside is that they often get lesser growth opportunities to develop their carrier and current financial condition. Nowadays as so many bigger companies are located in top-tier cities and to work in these companies. So people have to get out of their comfort zone to get better opportunities and competition to improve their financial condition. For instance, there were two friends who completed same degree but one of them moved away from his hometown to get better job whereas the other person stayed in his hometown working 9 to 5 job. Eventually, after 3 years the person who chose to break his comfort zone and tried working where he got greater opportunities earned 4 times more than his friend who decided to stay in the same city.

In conclusion, many people are scared of moving away from their friends and family as they are emotionally very attached to them but better gains need bette

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing reasons for staying in one's birthplace as well as the advantages and disadvantages. The ideas are generally well-developed, such as the discussion on emotional security versus career growth. However, the conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence, which prevents a full summary of the position. While the main body paragraphs are well-supported with examples, the lack of a finished conclusion impacts the overall development of the response. To reach a higher band, ensure all sections are fully completed and the position is clearly maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'For instance', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, there are some instances of mechanical or slightly repetitive use of linking words. Additionally, the abrupt ending of the essay disrupts the flow and coherence of the final section. Improving the variety of cohesive devices and ensuring a complete, well-structured conclusion would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing for clear communication of ideas. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'elucidated', 'adversely', and 'top-tier'. However, there are also some awkward word choices and collocations, such as 'born place' instead of 'birthplace' or 'hometown', and the repetitive use of 'mortals' which is stylistically inappropriate for this type of essay. Spelling is mostly accurate, but the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, preventing a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'the travelling becomes is much lesser' and 'completed same degree'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with sentence fragments and run-on sentences. The errors do not typically impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining complex sentence structures will help improve accuracy.

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

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