Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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)

It has become increasingly common for people to live near their birthplaces. It is not only beneficial to fulfil their personal responsibilities but also provides them with convenience. They can easily maintain their work-life balance and socialize. This essay will discuss associated reasons before presenting associated pros and cons.

The fundamental reason for this is friendly atmosphere. Individuals often know each other and it helps to make them comfortable when they live near their hometowns. Moreover, they do not need to travel far to meet their loved ones on special occasions, such as Diwali, New year and Christmas. For instance, international students feel isolated on special celebrations because they live far from their parents. They can easily fulfil their family responsibilities.

One of the merits associated with this is work-life balance. People can complete all their professional tasks and family-oriented responsibilities provided they live with their near and dear. Consequently, they never feel isolated and less valuable. It increases their confidence and reduces anxiety.

People lose several study or work opportunities due to their decision to live with their family. Firstly, people often neglect those job openings in which they have to live at another place. As a result, it becomes hurdle in their career growth. For example, it is observed that people turn down their promotion chances if the position requires relocation especially women. Secondly, it affects their skills like communication negatively because they never experience diversity in their environment, different cultures and languages.

In conclusion, it is observed that family connection and comfortablity are essential for human beings. This trend has numerous advantages and disadvantages. People should explore different places to improve their abilities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address all parts of the prompt: you give reasons for staying near one’s birthplace, then discuss an advantage and disadvantages, and your position is clear in the conclusion. The points about family connection, comfort, and missed career opportunities are relevant. However, some ideas are more fully explained than others. The discussion of family responsibilities and social comfort is supported with examples, but the claim that staying local harms communication skills is asserted rather than explained. The example about women turning down promotions also needs clarification and support. To strengthen the response, explain how each disadvantage follows from staying in one place and use examples that apply clearly to the wider issue.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for reasons and advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Moreover,” “Consequently,” and “Firstly” help readers follow the development, and the main points are generally easy to identify. Some linking is mechanical, however: “This essay will discuss associated reasons before presenting associated pros and cons” is formulaic, and “associated” is repeated without adding meaning. Connections between claims could also be clearer; for example, the move from family responsibilities to confidence and anxiety is not fully explained. Use more precise referencing and make the relationship between each example and its main point explicit to achieve smoother progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “work-life balance,” “isolated,” “career growth,” and “diversity.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and you attempt some less common expressions. At times, however, word choice and collocation are inaccurate or unnatural: “friendly atmosphere” does not precisely explain why people stay near their birthplace, “live with their near and dear” is awkward, and “comfortablity” is misspelled and incorrectly formed. “It becomes hurdle” also needs a more natural expression. Aim for precise, idiomatic combinations rather than formal-sounding phrases, and check spelling and word forms carefully. This would make the argument clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “because,” “provided,” and “if,” and most sentences communicate their meaning clearly. There are some grammatical errors, but they rarely prevent understanding. For example, “It becomes hurdle in their career growth” is missing an article, while “people turn down their promotion chances if the position requires relocation especially women” has an unclear sentence structure and needs punctuation to separate the final qualification. The sentence beginning “People can complete all their professional tasks…” also has an awkward conditional construction. Review articles, clause structure, and punctuation, and make sure each sentence clearly identifies who or what a qualifying phrase refers to.

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

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