Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-31

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that now is the best time in history to be living.

What is your opinion about this?

What other time in history would be interesting to live in?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In recent times, some people believe that now is the best time in history to be alive. In my opinion, now is certainly the best time to be living.

This is because of the existence of technology such as the use of telephone to communicate easily with friends and family, good agricultural system that has come into play to improve quality of life.

During the times of our forefathers, would be an interesting time to live in because at that time they learnt how to treat people who suffer from malaria, tuberculosis with the use of plants found growing in the forests. This led to the people having good quality of life. To exemplify this, bitterleaf soup prepared from plants was used to treat different individuals who suffered from anemia.

In addition, our ancestors were able to make clay used to make different things which were used to make life less challenging and enjoyable. For instance, clay houses which served as accommodation for themselves and their families. Furthermore, clay was used to make pots for cooking food. The clay pots were also made and sold to other rural dwellers living in close villages to buy hunting guns to kill animals, which was done to earn a living.The animals killed were cooked and shared among families which promoted love and unity.

In conclusion, now is indeed the best time to live, due to technology and agriculture which have improved the standard of living, also the days of our forefathers is other time in history to live because they treated the sick and made shelter with clay. They even made and sold pots to earn a living thus making life more convenient for them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the opinion on the current era and an alternative historical period. However, the development is uneven. While the reasons for the current era are mentioned, they are quite brief. The section on the 'forefathers' is more detailed but focuses heavily on specific examples like clay pots and herbal medicine, which feels slightly tangential to the broader historical context requested. To reach a higher band, you should provide more analytical depth regarding why a specific era would be 'interesting' to live in, rather than just listing survival techniques or daily activities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the current era to the past. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'For instance', 'Furthermore', 'In addition'). Some transitions between sentences feel abrupt, particularly in the third paragraph. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that ideas flow more naturally between sentences would enhance the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'agricultural system' and 'rural dwellers'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on basic phrasing. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'good agricultural system that has come into play'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and collocations to express your ideas with greater sophistication and nuance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the use of telephone', 'during the times of our forefathers'), subject-verb agreement issues, and awkward phrasing ('the days of our forefathers is other time'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to impact the flow. Focusing on article usage and sentence construction will help improve your accuracy.

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