Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

People often draw comparisons between the quality of life spent across different timelines. It is often argued that in comparison to our ancestors, we are currently living in the best era. In this essay, I will explain why I agree with this belief and also describe a fascinating historical era, the 80s.

We are currently living in a time where constant, rapid technological developments are taking place. We witnessed the concept of Artificial Intelligence actually take an effective form. This tool helps people from every walk of life and can be tailored as per individual. For example, back in the old days in order to learn a new skill, individuals would have to enroll in expensive physical classes. However, this is not the case now. AI can be effectively used to learn any new skill from the comfort of home, without any additional cost. As a result, we are now finding it easier to develop new skills and use our time more effectively.

On the other hand, the 80s were also an interesting time to be in. During that era, the entertainment industry was thriving. Pop music was newly introduced and for its promotion, a unique style of music videos was developed. The concept of making short preview videos, gave rise to filming of proper short film style videos. There was so much originality and versatility in the entertainment industry during those days. If you observe, most of the popular music that is now being re-made is in fact from the 80s.

In conclusion, we are currently living in the most favourable era. We are surrounded by technology that helps us advance and move forward by helping us upskill. The historical 80s is an interesting time from the past with memorable development in the media industry.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task fully and effectively. The candidate clearly states their opinion on why the present day is the best era in history, supported by a concrete example regarding technological advancements and Artificial Intelligence. Furthermore, the second question is answered thoroughly by introducing the 1980s as a fascinating historical period and exploring developments in the entertainment industry. The position is maintained clearly throughout the essay, and ideas are extended appropriately. The progression of thoughts moves logically from the modern era to a historical comparison, fully satisfying the requirements of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The introduction successfully outlines the scope of the essay, distinguishing between the modern era and the 1980s. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'For example', 'However', and 'On the other hand' are deployed effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Referencing is generally clear, and although some transitions are slightly conventional, the overall structure remains coherent and easy to follow from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The candidate displays an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation, such as 'constant, rapid technological developments', 'thriving', and 'originality and versatility'. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, for example, saying 'quality of life spent across different timelines' rather than 'times' or 'periods', and mentioning that pop music was 'newly introduced' when 'emerged' or 'gained prominence' would be more natural. Nevertheless, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning precisely without impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response contains a healthy mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a good level of grammatical control. The writer successfully uses complex structures, such as 'We are currently living in a time where constant, rapid technological developments are taking place' and conditional or concessive clauses. While there are a few minor grammatical errors or slightly awkward phrasings—such as 'quality of life spent' instead of 'experienced' or 'lived'—frequent error-free sentences appear throughout the text. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the grammatical errors do not impede communication.

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