Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-21

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)

The increased life expectancy in some countries has sparked debate about whether an aging population is problematic to for the governments or beneficial to the society. While they bring experience and expertise in the society, I believe the disadvantages of an aging population outweigh the advantages, particularly because it can place pressure on governments and limit opportunities for younger generations.

On the one hand, older generation contributes to greater value in the society through their earned knowledge and experience. Having spent many years handling and dealing with challenges, they can provide valuable guidance when taking any important decision in any aspects of out lives. For example, in many organizations, the senior management or leadership positions are occupied by elderly expert professionals, who can contribute to reduce repeating past mistakes and take informed decisions, helping the organizations flourish. Moreover, these experiences and advice can be passed on to the next generation, preserving the value within the society.

There are, however, various significant drawbacks as well. One of the major disadvantages is the immense pressure on government for allocating pensions, healthcare and other social services for the growing elderly people. It creates additional financial burden on the states, which could be used in something else. Additionally, it lowers the potential opportunities for the younger generation. They usually come with fresh ideas, technological innovations and diverse approaches necessary for the current business landscape compared to older generation who are mostly very resistant to changes. Hence, government loses development and competitive opportunities which can fill a nation's gap. For instance, since older generations hold the top management positions in a company, younger people face less opportunities to grow in their career and can not bring change to an organization, hampering potential economic and personal growth.

In conclusion, the experience that comes with elderly people in an aging population is very valuable to the society. However I think the lost opportunities for young people and financial burden on government outweigh the benefits of aging population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the discussion on the financial burden of pensions and the potential stagnation of career progression for younger generations is logically supported. However, the essay could be improved by providing more specific, real-world examples rather than general statements about 'many organizations' or 'the states'. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points and reinforces the writer's stance, ensuring the task is fully addressed.

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, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. However, there are minor instances where the flow could be smoother, such as the transition between the benefits and drawbacks. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments, contributing to the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The writer uses some good collocations like 'increased life expectancy', 'technological innovations', and 'business landscape'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'problematic to for the governments' (a typo) and 'less opportunities' (should be 'fewer'). While the range is adequate, it lacks the more sophisticated or idiomatic expressions that would push the score into the 8.0 range. Nevertheless, the meaning is always clear, and the vocabulary is used with a reasonable degree of precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are persistent minor errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, 'older generation contributes' should be plural ('older generations contribute'), and 'can not bring change' is slightly awkward. There are also minor prepositional errors, such as 'in any aspects of out lives'. Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and the writer maintains a consistent tone throughout the piece.

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