Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17

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 7.0)

In an incresingly mobile world, many people choose to relocate to difeerent cities or countries in pursuit of better opportunities. Nevertheless, some individuals prefer to spend most of their lives in or around their birthplace. This essay will elucidate the reason for this and I will explain both the benefits and the drawbacks.

To commence with, one compelling factor is the strong sense of belonging that people develop towards their local community. Having grown up surrounded by relatives, childhood friends and familiar surrounding, they may feel emotionally attached to the area. To addition, people who have established careers, purchased property or taken over a family business may have little incentive to relocate. To illustrate, a paerson who inherits a family-owned business may prefer to continue operating it rather than abandoning an established source of income.

Living close to one's birthplace has several advantages. The most abvious benefits is the availiability of a well-established support network. People can rely on family members and long-term friends for emotional and practical assistance, which can be particularly valuable during difficult times. Furthermore, familiarity with the local culture, language, customs and environment can make everyday life considerably more confortable.

However, this lifestyle is not without disadvantages. remaining the same area for decades may limit an individual's exposure to new experiences and alternative perspectives. It can also restrict career opportunities if the local economy offers only a narrow range of employment opportunites. Consequently, some people may miss valuable chances for professional advancement or personal development.

To recapitulate, people often remain close to where they were born because of emotional attachment, family responsibilities, financial stability and established careers. Although this choice provides a strong support system and a sense of security, it may also limit people's professional opportunities and exposure to different ways of life. Ultimately, the decision depends on an individual's priorities, cirumstances and long-term aspirations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring the reasons why people stay close to their birthplace as well as the associated advantages and disadvantages. The writer adopts a clear position throughout the essay. Ideas are well developed and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning someone who inherits a family-owned business. The arguments are extended effectively, covering emotional, social, and financial aspects of remaining in one's hometown. The essay meets all requirements of the task efficiently, offering a balanced and comprehensive overview of the topic. This performance aligns comfortably with the Band 7.0 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from an introduction to reasons, advantages, disadvantages, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used effectively, such as 'To commence with', 'Furthermore', and 'Consequently', though there are occasional minor lexical slips in linking phrases like 'To addition' instead of 'In addition'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating distinct themes logically. The overall arrangement is coherent and guides the reader effortlessly through the arguments, supporting a solid Band 7.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, using less common items such as 'compelling factor', 'support network', and 'alternative perspectives'. However, there are a few noticeable spelling and typographical errors, including 'incresingly' instead of increasingly, 'difeerent' instead of different, 'surrounding' instead of surroundings, 'paerson' instead of person, and 'abvious' instead of obvious. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands. The overall lexical control is adequate for a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a good variety of structures such as conditional and participial clauses ('Having grown up surrounded by relatives...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside a few grammatical and typographical slips, such as 'remaining the same area' instead of remaining in the same area, and 'opportunites' instead of opportunities. Punctuation is generally accurate, and complex structures are attempted with a fair degree of success. The errors present are non-systematic and rarely impede communication, placing the response securely in the Band 7.0 category.

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