Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-05

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)

There is an argument that the present is the best time to live. I agree with the given statement. However, I believe that living in the past would be more enjoyable because of multiple factors.

Nowadays many people are living their best lives. There are several reasons for this phenomenon. To begin with, there is a development in infrastructures which includes skyscrapers, better roads and parks. Moreover, I believe there are better employment opportunities and available access to resources compared to the past. For instance, the development is on its peak these days and industries like construction is providing huge employment. People have more resources like parks, recreational centers and better transportation.

However, I believe it would be an amazing experience if given a chance to live in the past. I would like to live in the era of [redacted phone]s. The environment back then was pure with no pollution. People also had access to natural water which helps in many ways to improve overall health in a human body. Furthermore, because of less employment opportunities and lack of access to live abroad, people used to live with their families. People back then were attached to their culture and tradition, and celebrated different festivals with their loved ones. Individuals did not have access to multiple technological gadgets like phones or laptops. Therefore, people used to spend time with their families. Especially children used to spend most of their time exploring different activities like playing outside which resulted in physically strong body compared to children in the present. I believe that time was the best in the history to live as it was also a safe place to live with the family. For example, crime rates were too low compared to now and parents used to look after of their children and all their activities.

In conclusion, although some people enjoy living in the present time because of better infrastructures, employment opportunities and access to multiple resources, I think living in the past would be more interesting because of several reasons such as better environments, closeness with the families and overall security.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the opinion on the present and the choice of a historical era. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the present is discussed in terms of infrastructure and employment, the arguments for the 1800-1900s are more detailed. The claim that the 1800s were 'safe' with 'low crime rates' is a significant over-generalisation that lacks historical nuance, which limits the depth of the argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that claims are supported by more balanced and accurate reasoning rather than relying on romanticised views of the past.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the frequent use of 'people' as a subject at the start of sentences could be improved by using more varied cohesive structures or pronoun references to enhance the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'phenomenon' and 'recreational centers'. However, there are some inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'development is on its peak' (should be 'at its peak') and 'pure with no pollution' (a bit simplistic). The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Expanding the use of topic-specific collocations would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'industries like construction is providing' (subject-verb agreement error: 'are providing') and 'look after of their children' (incorrect preposition usage). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The punctuation is generally correct, but the control over complex structures needs to be more consistent to demonstrate the flexibility required for a Band 7 or higher.

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

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