Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-06

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 5.0)

In majority of the nations individuals are now living longer than before. Few say an aging population creates problems for governments. Other pupils think there are benefits if society has more old aged people.

In my opinion, I firmly believe having old age people plays a significant role in the community where the young people can learn from their life experiences and it holds massive advantages in terms of leading our youth. Elderly people experiences in daily life and as well as professional can help the young one's in taking accurate decisions regarding all the aspects of life it can prevent others from being undecisive.

Explaining some of the other supporting points in favour of the old people in the community it is true that the results can be obvious and the amount of knowledge other people in the community would have from them could be exceptional. For instance, I remember when my grandmother was alive and I would go to her for every problem and the solutions she would would suggest would always be of great work and it had best consequences. Additionally, the presence of an elderly person in the household can make alot of things easier as they are hands on the difficult situations and can solve the matters of many people needing assistance. On the other hand, schools and offices are in dire need of the old people having massive work experiences which aids to their success stories and ultimately, result in higher profit for the organizations.

In the concluding statement, it is concluded that advice taken from our grandparents and elderly people present in our communities can have a prominent impact on our lives and society in itself. Therefore, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages at the presence elderly people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the student does state an opinion that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, the ideas presented are limited and under-developed. For instance, the argument regarding the workplace mentions that offices need older people for their work experiences and profits, but this point remains superficial and lacks adequate elaboration or specific examples. Furthermore, 17 words copied directly from the prompt were not counted towards the minimum length, though the text does meet the overall word count requirement. To move to a higher level, the writer needs to fully extend and support all main ideas with relevant explanations and well-developed examples rather than relying on brief generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation in the response, but it lacks a clear overall progression. Paragraphing is attempted, with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but the internal logical flow within paragraphs is frequently disrupted. Cohesive devices are often inadequate, inaccurate, or repetitive, such as the mechanical transitions used to introduce points like 'Explaining some of the other supporting points in favour of the old people in the community it is true that...'. Additionally, referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the exact relationship between ideas. To achieve a higher band, the student must ensure a smoother logical progression between sentences and use a wider, more natural variety of cohesive devices without repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey a basic message. The writer makes noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word formation, which occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples include 'old aged people', 'Elderly people experiences', 'undecisive', and 'hands on the difficult situations'. While there are attempts to use less common vocabulary such as 'prominent impact' and 'assistance', these are accompanied by inaccuracies. To improve in this area, the student should focus on expanding their vocabulary range, learning correct collocations, and paying closer attention to word forms, parts of speech, and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences or attempts at complex sentences that are frequently faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement, article usage, plurals, and missing prepositions within grammatical patterns. Examples of these errors include 'In majority of the nations', 'young one's in taking accurate decisions', 'the solutions she would would suggest would always be of great work', and 'at the presence elderly people'. These frequent errors can cause difficulty for the reader. To reach the next level, the writer needs to produce a greater variety of error-free complex sentences and exercise better control over basic grammar and punctuation.

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