Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

The average lives of people have increased in recent times. In some countries, the population of elderly people has increased a lot. It has created a dilemma between people whether it is a benefit towards the society, or a problem for the government. The advantages of having an aging population outstrip the disadvantages.

Foremost, an elderly population can help society by teaching or raising the younger generation through their experience. For instance, a person who has been alive for decades will surely have a lot more expertise on how to deal with the world than someone who is just stepping into the real world.

Secondly, elderly people also help their children by helping them with raising their grandchildren. In South Asian countries, many elderly people raise their grandchildren on their own, while both parents work outside to give their children a better life. The children are safe with their grandchildren and parents do not have to worry about hiring a nanny or a babysitter.

On the other hand, the only major disadvantage of elderly people is their inability to provide for themselves. However, they offer so much in return, they keep the culture and history alive. They help society through their experience and shape the younger generation into better human beings. The advantages of having an aging population in society is that it helps the younger generation not to repeat the mistakes they have made in their lifetime. Small things like this make their contribution to society worth having.

To put it in a nutshell, the older generation serves as a catalyst for the growth of younger individuals, guiding them to become responsible citizens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of an aging population, expressing a clear position that the benefits outstrip the drawbacks. However, some ideas are under-developed or repetitive. For example, the point about elderly people helping raise grandchildren in South Asian countries is relevant, but the discussion tends to circle back to the same general idea of passing down experience rather than exploring diverse facets of the economic or social impacts. To move higher, the response would need to extend and support all its main points with more fully realized arguments and varied perspectives, avoiding repetitive looping of the same core concepts.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance introduced early on and a concluding summary at the end. Paragraphing is used to separate distinct points, such as educational benefits in the second paragraph and childcare support in the third. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical or faulty. Transition markers like "Foremost" and "Secondly" are somewhat awkward, and referencing in sentences like "The children are safe with their grandchildren" is confusing due to a mix-up in pronouns. Progression lacks smooth links between paragraphs, making the logical flow feel a bit disjointed in places. Improving the flexibility and accuracy of cohesive devices would strengthen the structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey basic arguments about aging populations. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as "dilemma," "catalyst," and "outstrip," but these are sometimes accompanied by inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, as seen in "benefit towards the society" instead of "benefit to society." Spelling is generally acceptable, but phrasing can be overly simplistic or repetitive, relying heavily on words like "help" and "elderly people." To achieve a higher band, the writer should demonstrate a more precise and varied control of lexical items, incorporating more sophisticated phrasing and natural collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as conditional or relative clauses. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and sentence construction that disrupt the flow. Instances include subject-verb agreement issues or awkward phrasing like "The advantages of having an aging population in society is that..." where the plural subject disagrees with the singular verb. Punctuation and article usage also show occasional lapses. To progress, the writer needs to produce a higher proportion of error-free sentences while increasing the variety and accuracy of complex structures.

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