Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-24

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)

It is often argued that the increasing life expectancy of people has become a burden for governments. However, others maintain that elderly people are blessings for a society. I believe that the merits of having aging population totally exceed its demerits.

The presence of three generations in a single family creates a good bond between them, making each member feel and enjoy the company of one another. The presence of an elderly people in the house provides mental support for every member. Moreover, amid the busy schedules of couples nowadays, grandparents are helping them with child caring activities. A research in Russia has found that the child raised in a family with elderly people was more aware of traditional values and culture. This means elderly people are a connecting link for culture between the old and new generations. Everywhere around the world,, the scene of a grandfather and his grandson playing together fascinates everyone.

Admittedly, the cost for health and caring increases with the extended life span of people. Some people consider that there is no worth spending on elderly people by governments as they are the unproductive part of population. Moreover, with the age, frustration and irritation increases in them, making it difficult for family members to handle. Not only for others, living longer imparts a lot of difficulties for an old aged individual too since their body stops functioning properly. It is evident that across many parts of the world old aged people wish to die beacuse of extreme sufferings they go through in their later ages of life.

Hence, despite several advantages of increasing life expectancy, its social and family advantages outweighs them.

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 both the benefits (family bonds, cultural transmission) and the drawbacks (healthcare costs, personal suffering). However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits are supported with a specific example regarding cultural values, the discussion of the disadvantages is more general. To reach a higher band, ensure that both sides of the argument are explored with equal depth and that your conclusion directly reflects the arguments presented. The position is consistent, but the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly elaborated to demonstrate a more sophisticated understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Admittedly', and 'Hence' to guide the reader through your arguments. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the benefits of family bonds and the specific example of Russian research is a bit abrupt. Additionally, there are minor issues with punctuation, such as the double comma in 'world,,', which slightly disrupts the flow. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'life expectancy', 'unproductive', and 'traditional values' appropriately. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'child caring activities' instead of 'childcare' and 'old aged individual' instead of 'the elderly'. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band score. Expanding your repertoire of academic collocations would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'an elderly people' is grammatically incorrect (it should be 'an elderly person' or 'elderly people'), and 'the child raised' should be 'children raised'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'frustration and irritation increases' (should be 'increase') and 'advantages... outweighs' (should be 'outweigh'). These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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