Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-14

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)

Some individuals prefer to stay in their hometown and never move away. There are both the benefits and limitations of this idea that this essay will discuss.

One of the biggest advantage of this trend is staying with their family and friends. Family plays a vital role in everyone's life and one can always rely on their loved ones whether for personal or financial support. There are sometimes difficult phases in life when one can feel lonely and need help. The benefit of staying at their birthplace is that they never need to hesitate to ask for the help of their family and they always feel connected. Moreover, living away they need to spend extra money on rent, food and travel which they can save while living in their hometown. For example, International students pay huge amount of money for studying abroad an they still have to pay for their accommodation and food, while others studying in their home country can save this money.

On the contrary, some individuals lose various opportunities which requires them to move to a different location whether for work or education. This can limit their success and chances to grow in their fields. In the developed countries, there are always best organisations which provide better education at a global level and the job market in such areas if filled with numerous opportunities. One can achieve the best education and training leading them to success. Moreover, with the growth in their career and their earnings, they can re-unite their family at their new workplace.

In conclusion, while one can stay connected to their family working or studying in their hometown, they can also lose valuable opportunities with their decision of not moving away.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address the reasons people remain near their birthplace and discuss both benefits and drawbacks, so the response is relevant to the full task. Family support and lower living costs are clear advantages, while missed education and employment opportunities form a relevant disadvantage. However, the reasons for staying are mostly implied through the benefits rather than explained directly, and the discussion of opportunities is general. The example about international students illustrates the cost point, but it does not fully show why people choose to remain near home. Develop the causes more explicitly—for instance, family responsibilities, cultural ties, or limited resources—and explain one example in greater detail to make the response more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a concluding summary. The progression from family support and savings to lost opportunities is easy to follow, and linking phrases such as “Moreover,” “On the contrary,” and “In conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent arrangement and shows some stronger control through paragraphing and a logical sequence. To make cohesion more flexible and precise, avoid relying mainly on formulaic transitions and clarify references such as “this trend” and “their decision.” The final paragraph could also synthesise the reasons for staying, rather than simply restating the two sides.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “vital role,” “financial support,” “valuable opportunities,” and “career.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and you attempt some more formal expressions. At times, however, word choice and collocation are imprecise: “the biggest advantage of this trend” needs a plural form, “best organisations” is vague, and “the job market … is filled” is less natural than a more precise description. There are also spelling or typing slips, including “an” for “and” and “if” for “is.” Aim for more exact topic vocabulary and check spelling and collocations during proofreading; this would make the argument sound more natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “whether,” “when,” and “while,” and most meanings remain clear. Some grammatical errors occur, but they rarely prevent understanding. Examples include the agreement error in “One of the biggest advantage,” the missing article in “pay huge amount,” and the incorrect verb form in “opportunities which requires.” The sentence beginning “Moreover, living away they need…” also has an unclear grammatical connection between its opening phrase and main clause. Review subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence construction, especially when adding introductory phrases. More consistently accurate control of these structures would strengthen the response while preserving its useful range of sentence forms.

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