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)

Many individuals believe that more elderly residents create issues for their governments. While, others believe that having an aging population is beneficial for the society. However, the advantage of elderly people acting as a guide for the new generations completely outweighs the disadvantage such as old people require intensive care and treatment.

On the one hand, elderly people have more knowledge and experience about life. They have witnessed significant changes that had occurred around the world since decades. Many people especially youngsters often get demotivated when they are unable to accomplish certain tasks during their lifetime. During this time, elder people often give them moral support. For instance, once my uncle got demotivated as his business went bankrupt. But at that time my grandfather advised him not to lose hope and try again to set the business. He did that and now he is a successful businessman.

On the other hand, old people require more care than people of other age groups. Old age is often related to diseases and illnesses such as loss of hearing and eyesight , lack of physical strength and many others. Due to this, many old people require intensive treatment. The governments need to allocate more funds and other resources towards the healthcare sector and taking care of elders. For instance, as a significant amount of money is being spend on maintaining proper healthcare, the governments have lesser funds to address other problems such as unemployment and poverty.

In conclusion, older people act as torchbearers of the society by providing help in hours of crises. The only thing they require is proper care and treatment. The pros definitely outweighs the cons.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt and maintained a clear position throughout the essay. Your argument that the benefits of elderly guidance outweigh the costs of healthcare is consistent. However, the development of ideas could be more sophisticated. While your personal example about your uncle is relevant, the essay would benefit from a broader societal perspective to reach a higher band. For instance, discussing the economic contribution of older generations or the specific nature of the 'problems' for governments beyond just healthcare costs would strengthen your response. Overall, you have provided a clear, relevant, and well-structured argument that directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the opening sentence of the second paragraph, 'elderly people have more knowledge', could be better linked to the previous paragraph's conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and each paragraph has a clear central topic, which helps the reader follow your line of reasoning effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'intensive care', 'torchbearers', and 'allocate'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'since decades' (should be 'for decades') and 'spend' instead of 'spent'. While you successfully convey your meaning, the vocabulary is generally functional rather than sophisticated. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common academic vocabulary to express your ideas with greater nuance. The current range is sufficient to communicate your points clearly without significant difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'While, others believe' (the comma is unnecessary) and 'elder people' (should be 'elderly people'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as the spacing before the comma in 'eyesight ,'. You have good control over basic structures, but your complex sentences occasionally contain errors. To achieve a higher band, focus on increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences and refining your use of articles and prepositions.

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

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