Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-11-08

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 6.5)

People in many nations have higher life expectancy nowadays. Some people believe that the governments have to face problems because of the senior citizens, while others argue that the communities get benefits when there are more elderly individuals. I agree with the latter view because society can utilize the life experiences and wisdom of the elderly people.

A considerable portion of the population think that elderly people are burdens of the country. It is believed that the goverment has to bear the expenses of the senior citizens in many cases since they cannot work and earn their livelihood, preventing the economic growth of the nation. In addition, elderly people are often unable to work as efficiently as the younger individuals, which reduces the productivity of the population. For instance, senior citizens cannot do jobs that require a great deal of physical strength unlike the young workers. Nevertheless, I believe there are more advantages of having elderly people in our communities than drawbacks.

On the contrary, many people say that an aging population is a resource for a country. They argue that the senior citizens can share their life experiences with the young generation, which would help them overcome the challenges of a society. Their wisdom and knowledge can guide a nation to achieve economical and social progress. For example, most of the Nobel laurates are elderly people because they worked on their research area throughout their lives and were capable of making significant contribution in their respective fields after working for years.

In conclusion, I believe that the upsides of having an aging population outweigh the disadvantages because elderly people often have more knowledge and wisdom than the younger individuals because of having more experiences in their lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that the benefits of an aging population outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both sides of the question. The discussion of government costs and reduced physical productivity gives relevant disadvantages, while the point about older people sharing experience and wisdom supports your view. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others. For example, the claim that elderly people’s knowledge can guide social and economic progress is broad, and the Nobel laureate example does not clearly show how an aging population benefits society as a whole. Develop this link with a more direct example, such as older people mentoring younger workers or contributing through community roles. The response meets the stated length requirement; eight words copied from the prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your position, two body paragraphs present contrasting arguments, and the conclusion restates your view. Ideas generally progress logically, and signposts such as “In addition,” “Nevertheless,” and “For example” help readers follow the discussion. This shows a sound foundation and some effective organisation. At times, however, the linking is somewhat formulaic: “On the contrary” introduces the benefits paragraph even though it is not directly contradicting the preceding sentence so much as presenting the other side. The conclusion also repeats the same reason given in the introduction without adding a synthesis. Use transitions that express the precise relationship between ideas, and connect examples more explicitly to the argument they support.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “life expectancy,” “productivity,” “senior citizens,” and “significant contribution.” These choices make the discussion clear, and phrases such as “a great deal of physical strength” show an attempt to use varied expression. Some less common wording is not fully accurate or natural, however. “Economical and social progress” would be better expressed as “economic and social progress,” while “Nobel laurates” contains a spelling error and should be “Nobel laureates.” “Burdens of the country” is also an awkward collocation in this context. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling, especially when using less familiar vocabulary; this would make your range more flexible and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “since they cannot work and earn their livelihood” and a relative clause in “which reduces the productivity of the population.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and the overall control is steady. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain. For example, “the governments have to face problems” uses an unnecessary plural article, and “a considerable portion of the population think” has a subject–verb agreement mismatch; use “thinks” or recast the subject as plural. The final sentence repeats “because,” making the relationship between its clauses less controlled. Continue using complex structures, but check agreement and revise sentences with repeated or loosely connected clauses.

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