Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-04

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 7.0)

The life expectancy of people in many nations all around the globe is increasing, leading to a rising population of senior citizens. While some people say old people increase the problems of the government and some say that are advantageous for the society, I believe that advantages of old people outweigh its disadvantages. Benefits like wisdom and logistical utility that they bring to the society and households fairly outweighs its disadvantages like increased healthcare costs.

One of the primary benefits of keeping old people in an economy is linked to the wisdom they have from their experiences of the past. To elaborate, as old people may have faced many hardships in different phases of their life, having them in an economy and its companies helps the younger generation individuals to take informed and well-thought decisions. Japanese companies, for instance, has a culture of keeping old people in their of board of directors because of the experience that that have. Additionally, as most of the senior citizens are retired, they are also a great help in looking after the kids at home which eliminates the child daycare costs, especially in the world of inflation. They also help in instilling the family values in children.

On the contrary, rising healthcare costs are one of the few negatives of keeping old people in a nation. Due to rising health concerns with increasing age, medical needs of aging population are generally more than the young population. Although, the government has to allocate higher budget for old people, the above mentioned benefits outweighs their mere medical expenses.

To conclude, benefits of old people like the experience and pratical utility that they have far more overrides their disadvantages like their increased healthcare costs. Hence, all the nations should try to prevent and protect their old age population.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You have identified both the benefits (wisdom, childcare) and the drawbacks (healthcare costs) and provided a clear conclusion. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of Japanese corporate culture. To reach a higher band, ensure that the development of ideas is more balanced; the discussion on healthcare costs is somewhat brief compared to the benefits. Expanding on the economic implications of an aging workforce or the strain on pension systems would provide a more comprehensive analysis of the 'disadvantages' side of the argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'To elaborate,' 'Additionally,' and 'On the contrary' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive (e.g., the frequent use of 'old people'). Improving the variety of cohesive links and using more sophisticated referencing (e.g., 'this demographic,' 'the elderly,' 'such individuals') would enhance the flow and cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision, using terms like 'life expectancy,' 'logistical utility,' and 'inflation.' However, there is a reliance on the phrase 'old people,' which is somewhat simplistic. Using more academic synonyms like 'the elderly,' 'senior citizens,' or 'the aging population' would elevate the tone. There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'keeping old people in an economy,' which sounds slightly unnatural. Expanding your range to include more precise academic collocations would help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. There are some grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Japanese companies... has a culture') and minor punctuation or phrasing slips ('that that have'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and ensuring that relative clauses are constructed accurately. Incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence forms, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, would also demonstrate better control.

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

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