Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

There is an ongoing debate on the value of elderly population as people's average life expectancy has increased. Although some individuals see the aging population as a burden of governments, the advantages of older population outweigh the disadvantages.

The major benefit of having a large number of old people is getting guidance by more experienced people. Older people can play role as mentors who can navigate a nation so that the nation cannot be distracted from its objectives. For example, older advisors seem to guide young leaders of a country or a family. Young generation can be distracted from their life goals without the supervision of elderly people. Moreover, they help to preserve the ethnicity by holding the historical value of place. Thus, they remain as intellectual wealth who prepare their younger to contribute to build a better world where everybody works cooperatively with the proper guidance of their older generation.

However, it is undeniable that older people are not physically competent to contribute in a country's economy. Rather they need extra care and attention like children because they are vulnerable physically and mentally. In this circumstance, it becomes difficult for the young people to provide them with proper care and time due to their hectic work lives. In addition, aging people are not enough updated to cope with the present world and as they cannot contribute financially, it becomes tough for the government to budget more costs for those people. Nonetheless, elderly can indirectly contribute to a country's economy being the influential advisors of the young generation of a country.

In conclusion, though having some disadvantages of having a large number of older population, the advantages outweigh these. Older population is always an intellectual wealth of a nation who navigate the young generation and contributes indirectly to the country's financial growth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you believe the benefits of an aging population outweigh the disadvantages, and the conclusion restates this view. You address both sides, identifying older people’s guidance and cultural knowledge as benefits, and care needs and pressure on public spending as drawbacks. These are relevant points, but some are more fully explained than others. The example of older advisers is general, and the claim that young people may lose sight of their goals without elderly supervision needs clearer support. The economic disadvantages are also mentioned but not illustrated. To strengthen the response, explain how the benefits affect society in practical terms and support key claims with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and disadvantages, and a conclusion that returns to your position. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “However,” and “Nonetheless” help signal the direction of the argument. The progression within paragraphs is sometimes less clear, however: the benefits paragraph moves from mentoring to national objectives, family guidance, and cultural preservation without fully showing how these points connect. Some references, such as “they” and “those people,” could also be more precise. The conclusion repeats the main claim but adds little synthesis. Group related ideas more tightly and use clearer links between each claim and its explanation to make the argument flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “life expectancy,” “mentors,” “historical value,” “vulnerable,” and “financial growth.” These choices show an effort to discuss the issue beyond basic terms, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, some less common expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “value of elderly population,” “preserve the ethnicity,” and “intellectual wealth.” There are also awkward collocations, including “updated to cope with the present world” and “budget more costs.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Aim to learn vocabulary in common word partnerships and choose terms that express the intended idea directly, such as cultural heritage or public expenditure.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including concession clauses such as “Although some individuals…” and “though having some disadvantages…,” as well as a relative clause in “people who can navigate a nation.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “can play role” is missing an article, “Young generation” needs a determiner or plural form, and “their younger” is not correctly formed. In the final sentence, “Older population … contributes” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while the opening of the conclusion is also structurally awkward. Review articles, plural forms, and agreement, and revise complex sentences to ensure each clause has a clear, complete structure.

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