Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12

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)

It is often argued that the present is the most perfect time to live in history. I completely agree with this opinion because modern society provides better healthcare, living conditions and better sources of knowledge. However, I also think that the 1960s is also interesting to live in, without any kind of burden of work.

There are several fundamental reasons why today is the best time to be alive. Firstly, with the advancement in technology, medical care has improved greatly. As a result, people can receive better health facilities and treatment for serious illnesses. Secondly, there are lots of sources for gaining information, through which students can collect vast knowledge for their studies. It not only improves their academic performance but also leads their life towards success by providing the best opportunities to get a high-paid job. Moreover, modern technology has made life more convenient and comfortable. For instance, people can order food at any time from any place, they can work from home and connect with their friends and families with a single click by using the internet.

Despite these advantages, the 1960s would be the most suitable era to live in. As the environment was much cleaner and air quality was also free from smoke, there was no industrial revolution. Apart from it, people were not following a workaholic schedule, they lived simply and peacefully and enjoyed their lives by farming and spending quality time with their family members. Consequently, they were more relaxed and calm compared to today,

In conclusion, although the 1960s would be an interesting and pollution-free period, I believe that the modern time is the best time to live due to more advanced facilities related to communication and health services,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the opinion on the present day and the choice of a historical period. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the claim that the 1960s had 'no industrial revolution' is historically inaccurate, as the industrial era was well-established by then. Additionally, the argument regarding the 1960s being 'without any kind of burden of work' is a significant over-generalisation that lacks supporting evidence. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced and factually grounded arguments rather than relying on broad, sweeping statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Moreover', and 'Despite these advantages' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing in the final paragraph is a bit repetitive. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the link between the 1960s and the lack of an industrial revolution is a logical leap that weakens the overall coherence of that specific argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'advancement', 'convenient', and 'suitable era'. However, the range is somewhat limited and relies on fairly common collocations. There are instances where word choice could be more precise; for example, 'high-paid job' is acceptable but 'lucrative career' would be more sophisticated. The phrase 'without any kind of burden of work' is slightly awkward. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to history and societal development to show greater flexibility and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors. For example, 'the 1960s is also interesting to live in' should be 'would be', and 'there was no industrial revolution' is a factual error that also affects the grammatical context of the sentence. There are also minor punctuation issues, such as the comma splice at the end of the third paragraph ('...compared to today,'). Increasing the variety of complex structures and ensuring subject-verb agreement will help improve your score in this area.

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

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