Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-08-31

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, people are living longer compared to past in many countries. Some argue that elderly people are creating problems for governments. Others think that having older people is beneficial for society. Although older people create pressure for authorities, I believe that elderly individuals may provide caring for families.

If people live longer, then governments will have pressure. this is because many older people have diseases, and they need medical support for treatments. Therefore, governments have to spend more money on healthcare and technology to provide advance care for people. For example, governments may build new hospitals, so there would not be pressure on doctors and provide free medical routine check-up for low-income families. Although I believe that managing these situations perfectly, older people would be beneficial for society.

Elderly individuals could help families. This is because both parents have their work and they do not have much time for their children, so they keep a babysitter for child caring. But when grandparents are available, then families do not need to spend money for child caring, they could keep their little ones with them. Older people could also share their real-life experiences with their family members. For instance, a family who both parents work in offices, they could keep their children at grandparent's house, where they could care and tell stories to them.

In conclusion, although older people may create problems for authorities, I believe that elderly people would be beneficial for society because they could care for their loveable and share their experiences for knowledge.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the problems and benefits of an aging population. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention healthcare costs and childcare as examples, the arguments remain at a surface level. To achieve a higher band, you should expand on the implications of these points—for instance, explaining how the economic burden on the working population might affect national productivity or how the intergenerational transfer of knowledge specifically impacts societal stability. Your position is clear throughout, but the depth of analysis is consistent with a band 6 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'This is because', and 'For instance' to link sentences. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly repetitive. For example, the phrase 'This is because' is used in both body paragraphs, which limits the flow. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where 'care for their loveable' is grammatically incomplete and lacks a clear referent.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You rely on common words like 'problems', 'people', and 'money'. While you attempt some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'medical support' and 'low-income families', there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'provide caring for families' and 'care for their loveable'. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and academic terminology related to demographics and social policy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the fluency of the text. Examples include 'compared to past' (missing article), 'many older people have diseases' (slightly unnatural), and 'managing these situations perfectly' (incorrect verb form). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some sentences starting with lowercase letters. To reach a higher band, you need to increase the frequency of error-free complex sentences and improve your control over articles and verb tenses.

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

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