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 the governments or beneficial for 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 contribute to a greater value in the society through their earned knowledge and experience over time. Having spent many years handling and dealing with challenges, they can provide valuable guidance when taking any important decision in any aspect of our lives. For example, in many organizations, the senior management or leadership positions are occupied by elderly expert professionals, who contribute to reducing 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 governments for allocating pensions, healthcare and other social services for the growing elderly people. It creates an additional financial burden on the states, which could be used in something else. Additionally, it lowers the potential opportunities for the younger generations. They usually come with fresh ideas, technological innovations and diverse approaches necessary for the current business landscape compared to the older generations who are mostly very resistant to changes. Hence, governments lose development and competitive opportunities which can fill a nation's gap significantly. For instance, since older generations hold the top management positions in most companies, younger people have less opportunities to grow in their career and can not bring change to an organization, hampering the 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 well-developed, particularly the discussion on economic burden and the stagnation of career progression for younger generations. The argument is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more specific, real-world examples (e.g., mentioning a specific country's pension crisis or a particular industry) to further strengthen the support for their claims, as some points remain slightly generalised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'However' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the argument. The progression of ideas is smooth, and each paragraph has a clear central topic. The referencing is generally clear, though some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning with some precision. The student uses topic-specific terms like 'life expectancy', 'technological innovations', and 'financial burden'. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'contribute to a greater value in the society' (better: 'contribute significant value to society') and 'can not bring change' (better: 'are unable to effect change'). While the range is adequate, incorporating more nuanced academic collocations would elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is generally good control over grammar, though some minor errors persist, such as 'the elderly people' (should be 'the elderly' or 'elderly people') and 'less opportunities' (should be 'fewer opportunities'). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the student should aim for more varied complex structures and ensure consistent subject-verb agreement and countability accuracy.

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