Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many countries, people are now living longer than ever before. Some people say an aging population creates problems for governments. Other people think there are benefits if society has more elderly people.

To what extent do the advantages of having an aging population outweigh the disadvantages?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In contemporary society, it is widely acknowledged that in several countries ageing population live longer, although it is beneficial for the society. However, others argued that older generations create problem for authorities. Both statements give positive impact on society. I will discuss benefits and drawbacks of elder population in following paragraphs.

To begin with, there are several notable merits of elderly population that live longer in society. Initially, elderly population take care of the children if other members are working. Moreover, eldery people assist the individuals in difficult task and give proper advice to sort out the hurdles. For instance, elder generation are more experienced and take care of the family in a better way. In contrast, due to advancement in medical field all the vaccines and proper care provided to the older individuals their lifespan extended. Therefore, it is good for the society. As older generation expanded they support their family financially and psychologically.

On the contrary, it is considered that there are several drawbacks of elder population. Firstly government should construct more buildings for old age home. Medical facilities, pension scheme, health personals all facilities should be provided by the governmeent to the old generations. For instance, in Canada, most of the population of elder ones and authorities more focus on their care, financial status and entertainment purpose. Government has more burden of older generations.

In conclusion, elder population is good for society but it has negative impact on society and government. People should take care of the elder ones.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both sides of the topic and give relevant points, such as older people helping with childcare and providing advice, alongside the costs of pensions and medical care. However, the task asks you to judge how far the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and your position is not consistently clear: the introduction says both sides have a positive impact, while the conclusion says the elderly are good for society but also have a negative impact. The examples are brief and some claims, such as the statement about Canada, are not explained or clearly connected to the argument. To strengthen the response, state your overall judgement directly and develop each main point with a clear explanation of its effect and a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “On the contrary” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the point about medical advances and longer lifespans interrupts the discussion of family support, and “Therefore, it is good for the society” does not clearly follow from the preceding details. The conclusion also repeats the general contrast rather than resolving it. Group related ideas together, use clearer links between claims and explanations, and make references such as “they” or “it” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “elderly population,” “medical facilities,” “pension scheme,” and “financially and psychologically.” This gives you a basic range for discussing the issue. However, several phrases are repetitive or imprecise, including repeated uses of “older generations” and “elder population,” and some combinations sound unnatural, such as “elder generation are more experienced” and “entertainment purpose.” Spelling errors such as “eldery” and “governmeent” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise, natural collocations and vary your wording without forcing formal expressions. For example, describe the public costs as “pressure on government budgets” and specify the support older people provide rather than relying on broad phrases such as “proper advice.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple sentences and longer structures, including a concessive opening with “although” and a conditional idea about family members working. However, control is uneven, and errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and verb forms are frequent enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “in several countries ageing population live longer” lacks a clear grammatical structure, while “elderly population take care” and “elder generation are” show agreement problems. The sentence beginning “Medical facilities, pension scheme…” is also incomplete. Practise building accurate subject–verb–object sentences first, then add subordinate clauses. Check articles and singular/plural agreement, and ensure every sentence has a complete main clause.

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