Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-23

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)

Nowadays, it is becoming increasingly common that people are having longer lives than previously in several countries. And some individuals believe that this development causes issues for gouvernments, whilst others think that aging people are helpful for their countries. This essay examines both of the advantages and drawbacks.

As for the advantages, the large experience in life can be used to guide the next generations to develop their countries. It is known that young people don't have the enough knowledge and experience to make the right decisions in their lives and they may sometimes fall in problems due to the lack of wisdom, which aging population can provide all this for them.

And for the disadvantages, many gouvernments around the world that are controlled by aging leaders failed in providing the suitable life that this generation need. In other words, the difference between the lifestyle of the previous generations and this generation made it very hard for these gouvernments to find better ways of life for the young people. Simply eldery individuals can’t force this new generation to live and dream just like what they dreamed about when they were same age as them. By contrast it will cause several bad habits such as the illegal immigration which is spreaded in a lot of countries such as Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.

In conclusion, there is no easy answer for this topic, however on balance, the drawbacks of this development such as triggering the illicit immigration and the depression amoung the young population outweigh its advantages

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The essay addresses both sides of the prompt, but the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention that the elderly provide wisdom, the explanation is brief and lacks concrete examples. Similarly, the argument regarding the disadvantages is somewhat confusing; the link between aging leaders and illegal immigration is not clearly explained or logically supported. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more detailed, logical justifications for your points. Your position is clear in the conclusion, but the overall development of the arguments remains limited, which is characteristic of a band 5.5 or 6.0 response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'As for', 'In other words', and 'By contrast'. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Simply eldery individuals can’t force...'. The progression of ideas within the second paragraph is a bit disjointed, as the jump from 'aging leaders' to 'illegal immigration' lacks a smooth logical bridge. Improving the variety and sophistication of your linking words will help improve the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use some basic terms like 'bad habits' and 'suitable life', which could be replaced with more academic alternatives. There are also some spelling errors, such as 'gouvernments' (repeatedly) and 'eldery', as well as word choice issues like 'spreaded' (should be 'widespread'). To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensure you check your spelling of common words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'people are having longer lives' (should be 'living longer'), 'don't have the enough knowledge' (should be 'enough knowledge'), and 'same age as them' (should be 'the same age as they are'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence construction often feels slightly awkward. Increasing your control over articles, prepositions, and verb forms will be essential for moving into the 6.5+ range.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.