Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-07

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 6.0)

In a lot of nations, individuals are now living longer than ever. A number of people reason that an aging population creates more issues for the government while the rest think there there are merits if the society has older people. As much as long life is the wish of every human being, realistically, the advantages of long life does not outweigh the demerits it brings to the government and the society at large.

Sure, every one wants to see their future generations to come and nobody wants to lose their loved ones. This is of course a good thing, but looking at it from a neutral point of view it is not all good for the community. If there are more aging people present in an a country, the productivity of that place is going to decline drastically. The work force present will be outnumbered by the dependent population and will not be able to provide for the needs of all of them. For example, a work force which is 30 percent of the population can in now way possibly provide for the remaining 70 percent. This is going to disrupt the economical welfare of that nation.

Moreover, the government has to allocate more budget in taking care of the old ones in form of pensions. Too many old people will place more pressure on the government. Portions of the budget which would have been used to attend to other pressing matters would have been used to fend for them. This a hinderance to the progression of the nation.

To conclude, I hold my stance that the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages. It hinders the progress of the nation and places more pressure on the work force.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You have identified the core tension between an aging population and economic stability. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the burden on the workforce and the government budget, these points are presented in a general way without specific examples or deeper analysis. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'benefits' side of the argument more thoroughly before refuting them, as the prompt asks you to weigh the advantages against the disadvantages. Currently, the discussion is heavily skewed toward the negative, which makes the evaluation feel slightly one-sided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as the decline in productivity or the strain on government budgets. You use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'To conclude' to link ideas. However, the flow between sentences can be a bit mechanical, and some transitions are slightly repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect the advantages and disadvantages more fluidly. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'dependent population,' 'economical welfare,' and 'hinderance.' However, there are some issues with word choice and collocation. For instance, 'fend for them' is slightly informal, and 'economical welfare' is not the most precise collocation; 'economic stability' or 'fiscal health' would be more appropriate. There are also minor errors, such as 'in now way' (a typo for 'no way') and 'an a country.' To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure that your word choices are consistently formal and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is sufficient for this level. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the advantages of long life does not outweigh' (subject-verb agreement error: 'advantages' is plural) and 'there there are' (repetition). You also have minor punctuation and article errors, such as 'in an a country.' While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for small slips in articles and repeated words.

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

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