Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
People are living longer in countries where life expectancy is better than other countries. Having an aging population creates problems for the government but firstly I'll mention some of the advantages of aging population. Having people with 65+ age means there are more experienced people who have more knowledge and understanding of different aspects of life. When there are more elderly in the society government often increases the retirement age so they serve the country in the longer run. More elderly means people demand healthcare, goods, services and other facilities which gives a rise to silver economy. Moreover experienced individuals help the society in case of need. They work voluntarily for the communities and societies. There also are some disadvantages associated with higher influx of elderly in the society. One of the major disadvantage is low job opportunities for youth as more elderly works due to increased retirement age so there will be less jobs for young people. Moreover the elderly people are exposed more to chronic diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer, sugar or kidney related diseases means high healthcare cost would be required in order to treat aging population. To treat these diseases new technologies, machineries and medicines are required which will put a pressure on health care systems and government because not all countries afford such expensive machineries so they take loans from IMF and World bank to improve technologies and to open new healthcare systems all over the country especially in the far flang areas where there are already limited health related services. In my opinion, the advantages of having an aging population do not outweigh the disadvantages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying both advantages and disadvantages of an aging population. You clearly state your position in the final sentence. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the 'silver economy' concept is mentioned but not fully explained or linked back to the prompt's core question about government impact. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is supported by more detailed reasoning or specific examples rather than just listing them. The structure is logical, but the depth of analysis remains at a basic level throughout the essay.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into a logical flow, moving from advantages to disadvantages and concluding with a clear opinion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'moreover' and 'one of the major disadvantages', which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the paragraphing is insufficient; the entire body of the essay is contained within one large block. Breaking the text into distinct paragraphs for advantages, disadvantages, and your conclusion would significantly improve the readability and structure. Additionally, some transitions between sentences feel slightly mechanical.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'life expectancy', 'chronic diseases', and 'silver economy'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'sugar or kidney related diseases' (where 'diabetes' would be more precise) and 'far flang areas' (spelling error: 'far-flung'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise medical and economic terminology and ensure correct spelling of idiomatic expressions.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the government', 'the society') and pluralization ('more elderly works' should be 'more elderly work'). Some sentences are quite long and run-on, such as the one discussing IMF loans, which lacks proper punctuation to separate distinct clauses. Improving control over subject-verb agreement and punctuation would help elevate your score. You have attempted complex structures, but they often contain minor errors that slightly impede the flow.
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.