Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-09

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)

Undoubtedly, every period of history has been characterised by its own advantages, challenges and unique way of life. In the contemporary world, people consider that the current era is the best period to be residing. I completely agree with this point of view due to the various innovations in technology. However, there was a time in history that would have been preferred by some people to live which will be discussed further in this essay.

To commence with, there are several reasons why the current time is the best. One major reason is the advancements in technology that have made healthcare, communication and everyday life safer and easy. To explain, technology has made everything feasible, and easily accessible. In other words, people are able to connect with each other no matter in which corner of the world they are residing in and also everything can be delivered to your door. To illustrate, things such as groceries, food, and many more can be ordered online which will be delivered directly to the house. As a result, everything has become convenient and the standard of living has been raised to a certain level.

Moving further, another period that I would particularly consider to experience is the 1960s. This is because, people were more deeply connected to each other and not dependent on digital technology for every small inconvenience. To clarify, there was no source of media and people used to get together everyday just to share their feelings and day to day life which is a beautiful way to experience the love and care from the loved ones. Consequently, this would have led individuals to experience a life without the internet and just enjoying the current time and living in peace.

In conclusion, although the current time period does provide convenience and safer living standard, yet the previous time had their own beauty because it provided peace and connections with the loved ones.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the opinion on the current era and the selection of a historical period. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While the benefits of technology are mentioned, the explanation remains quite general (e.g., 'everything can be delivered to your door'). Similarly, the discussion of the 1960s is brief and relies on a somewhat romanticized view of the past. To reach a higher band, the student should provide more specific, nuanced examples or deeper analysis of the implications of these historical differences rather than relying on broad generalizations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main points. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Moving further', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, though the connection between the two body paragraphs could be more sophisticated to show a stronger contrast between the eras discussed.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use some less common items (e.g., 'contemporary', 'innovations', 'feasible'), but the range is somewhat limited and occasionally repetitive (e.g., 'everything' is used frequently). Some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'safer and easy' (should be 'safer and easier') and 'inconvenience' used in a context that doesn't quite fit. The student demonstrates sufficient control to convey meaning, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'people consider that the current era is the best period to be residing' (should be 'to reside in') and 'there was no source of media' (which is factually questionable and grammatically awkward). Punctuation is generally correct, but there are minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band, which requires more frequent error-free sentences.

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

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