Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Many people believe that having more aging people in the nation will provide the significant experience to their younger one. While others argue that it will create some issues for the nation of starving. Although it has grave issues, it never outweighs the advantages.

In this modern era, there is lack of experience and idea about the history and this issue can mitigate by having more aging people. Nation can be governed in the mix sense of both new and old idea which can create a synergic effects. As a result states get the new track to be operated. For example, nation can improve their standard of living and expressing to others and this is only possible with combination of different ideas of different generation. Moreover, the new born child get connected with their grandparents which builds the sense of belongings due to the hectic lifestyle of their parents. As a result little one can get ancient knowledge through the aging people.

However, having more old and unproductive people, in the country can lead to the problems of starving. If there is less productive citizens than the unproductive one there will difinately be the problem of less production as a result it lead to the starvation in the nation.

While, in my opinion positive aspects of having elderly people always higher than its negative impacts. One of the main benefits of it is exchange of knowledges among the young ones, as grandparents can teach manner to their grandchildren. Moreover, it makes the strong bond among the elderly and young ones. I personally believe it creates the ideal society too.

In conclusion, although it has several issues to the nation having the elderly people, many people believe that it is more beneficial to the new generation and I strongly agree with this statements, moreover it create a ideal society which gives the sense of belongingness among the generations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout, arguing that the advantages of an aging population outweigh the disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the argument regarding 'starving' is not well-supported or logically linked to the concept of an aging population in a modern context. The essay would benefit from more specific, real-world examples rather than general statements about 'ancient knowledge' or 'standard of living'. While the position is clear, the supporting points lack the depth required for a higher band score, as they often repeat the same ideas about 'experience' and 'bonding' without sufficient expansion.

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. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used to link sentences and paragraphs. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'this issue can mitigate' which lacks a clear antecedent. Additionally, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes interrupted by awkward phrasing, which slightly impacts the overall readability. The structure is functional but lacks the sophisticated management of cohesion found in higher bands.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher score. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'nation of starving' and 'synergic effects', which do not sound natural in this context. The student relies on basic vocabulary and repeats terms like 'aging people' and 'nation' frequently. While the meaning is generally clear, there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language. Spelling errors, such as 'difinately', also detract from the overall quality of the lexical presentation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'this issue can mitigate'), incorrect article usage, and awkward sentence construction (e.g., 'nation can be governed in the mix sense of both new and old idea'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the misuse of commas and the lack of variety in sentence structure limit the score. The errors are noticeable and occur throughout the text, though they do not completely prevent the reader from understanding the intended message.

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