Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-06

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)

People nowadays in most of the countries are living longer than ever before, where few people believe that aging populations creates problems for governments. While there are some people who think elderly people has more benefits. As both sides has its own advantages and disadvantages, I believe the advantages of having an aging population outweigh the disadvantages.

On the one hand, people think that elderly people have more knowledge and experience as they have gone through a lot. Also, there is a believe that elderly people have more ability for decision making than the younger one. For example, in every home there is someone older who makes decision and guide. This is not just because they are senior, it is because they have better knowledge and understanding. In addition to this, they think critically and have a good vision for better future, which most of the youngesters nowadays are lacking. They make a quick decision and regret later. Furthermore, elderly people are like guardain who guides everyone towards right direction. For instance, a country who has a leader with better knowledge and skills could lead towards development.

On the other hand, a country with more elderly people somehow drags the country behind development. Because the government has to allocate money for their care, which they could spend in other developmental activities. Governments should establish aged care and home to take care of them which require huge money. In addition to this, with the aging, people started to suffer from mental problems like dementia, depression, loneliness and anxiety. When they grow older, they started feeling lonely because they have to stay home whole day and there is noone to talk to them. As a result, they develop overthinking, which leads to mental health problems.

In conclusion, olderly people has both advantages and disadvantages. But I feel like there are more benefits than disadvanatges because of their guidance and knowledge.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall position: you believe the benefits of an aging population outweigh the disadvantages, and you discuss both sides. The points about older people’s experience and the public cost of care are relevant. However, the response only partly develops the comparison required by the question. The benefits are mainly asserted through broad claims about decision-making and guidance, while the disadvantages focus on government spending and older people’s mental health; you do not explain why the benefits outweigh these costs in practical terms. The example of a knowledgeable national leader is also not clearly linked to having a larger elderly population. Develop fewer points with specific support and directly weigh their importance against each other.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two sides, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the broad organisation. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak: several claims about older people’s knowledge, critical thinking, and guidance repeat a similar idea without building it further. Some connections are also unclear, such as the move from older people’s loneliness to “overthinking” and mental health problems. The conclusion restates your view but does not draw together the comparison. Use clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and make the relationship between examples and the main argument explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “aging populations,” “allocate money,” “developmental activities,” and “mental health problems.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “decision making” and “critical thinking.” However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which can make parts less clear. For example, “elderly people has more benefits” does not express the intended idea naturally, and “drags the country behind development” is an awkward way to describe an economic effect. Spelling errors such as “guardain,” “youngesters,” and “disadvanatges” are noticeable. Build precision by learning common collocations for ageing, public spending, and social contributions, and proofread spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “as,” “because,” and “which.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the main argument is generally understandable. However, control is inconsistent, with frequent errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction. Examples include “aging populations creates,” “elderly people has,” and “they started feeling lonely”; these should use forms that agree with their subjects and maintain consistent tense. The sentence beginning “Because the government has to allocate money…” is a fragment, while “As both sides has its own…” also contains agreement problems. Practise checking each sentence for a complete main clause, subject–verb agreement, and consistent tense before adding more complex structures.

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