Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-09-19

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 in many countries are living longer than before. Therefore, the number of elderly people is increasing. Some people think this creates problems for governments, while others believe there are some benefits. I think an aging population has both advantages and disadvantages.

There are some advantages of having more elderly people. Firstly, old people have a lot of experience and knowledge. They can give useful advice to younger people. For example, grandparents can teach children many things about life. Secondly, some elderly people can help their families by looking after their grandchildren. This can help parents have more time to work.

However, there are also several disadvantages. The government needs to spend more money on healthcare because old people often need medical treatment. The government also needs to pay pensions to many elderly people. Moreover, if there are fewer young workers, some companies may have problems finding workers. This can affect the economy of a country.

In conclusion, an aging population has some benefits, such as experience and family support. However, it also causes problems with healthcare, pensions and workers. I think the disadvantages are greater than the advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student addresses both the advantages and disadvantages of an aging population and takes a clear position in the introduction and conclusion, stating that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Ideas such as healthcare costs, pensions, and family support are mentioned and supported with basic examples like grandparents looking after grandchildren. However, the ideas are under-developed and lack extension. Furthermore, the length requirement has not been met, as the response contains only 190 words, falling significantly short of the 250-word minimum. This severely impacts the level of task completion and prevents the essay from reaching higher band levels. To improve, the student must expand their supporting points with deeper explanations and ensure the word count requirement is fully satisfied.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a clear overall arrangement with four distinct paragraphs corresponding to an introduction, body paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. Logical progression is present, as the writer separates positive and negative aspects clearly. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'However', and 'In conclusion' are used to structure the text, although they are somewhat basic and mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. While the logical flow is easy to follow, the cohesion remains quite simplistic and lacks the flexibility and subtle referencing found at higher bands. Overall, the structural framework is sound and provides a coherent reading experience despite the short length.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms such as 'elderly people', 'healthcare', 'medical treatment', 'pensions', and 'economy'. However, the vocabulary is generally simple and repetitive, with frequent reliance on basic words like 'old people', 'problems', and 'good'. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic language, and phrases like 'a lot of experience' are quite basic. Spelling and word choice are generally accurate, and communication is never impeded by lexical errors. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of sophisticated synonyms and less common academic collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and moderately complex sentence forms, such as 'Some people think this creates problems for governments, while others believe there are some benefits' and 'Moreover, if there are fewer young workers, some companies may have problems finding workers.' Grammatical control is fairly good in simple structures, and punctuation is generally correct. There are occasional minor errors, but the majority of the simple sentences are accurate and do not impede communication. However, the range of complex structures is quite limited, and the student relies heavily on straightforward subject-verb-object patterns. To improve, the writer should integrate a greater variety of subordinate clauses and advanced grammatical structures with consistent accuracy.

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