Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-11

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 they did in the past . Some people belove that an ageing population creates problems for governments, while other think that having more elderly people brings benefits to socity. In my opinion , although there are some disadvantages and advantagesof an ageing population are greater.

On the one hand , an ageing people can creat several problems .Firstly , older people may need more medical care and financial support from the government. As an result, government has to spend more money on hospitals, medecines and pensions. secondly , when the large number of people retire, there may be few workers avalable to support the economy. This can increase the fincial burden on the younger generations. for example young people may have to pay higher taxes to support retired citizens.

On the other hand, elderly people can make valuable countribution to socity. Firstly , they have a great deal of knowledge and life experieance, which they can share with younger generations. For instance , grandparents can teach childrens some important values, traditions and practical skils. This allows parents to continue work ing and reduce childcare expenses.

In conclusin, an ageing population can put presure on healthcare services and government finances . however older people provide valuable experiences with their family and friends. I belive that the advantages out

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both sides of the question and state a preference, but the position is not fully clear: “although there are some disadvantages and advantages … are greater” is incomplete, and the conclusion ends with “the advantages out,” leaving your final judgement unfinished. The disadvantages are supported with relevant points about healthcare, pensions, retirement and taxes, while the benefits focus mainly on family knowledge and childcare. However, these benefits are not developed enough to show convincingly why they outweigh the costs, and the response does not fully explain the wider contribution older people can make. The response is also 24 words below the required minimum. Develop your comparison and complete the conclusion with a clear, supported answer to “to what extent.”

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on disadvantages, a paragraph on advantages and a conclusion. “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” make the shift between the two sides easy to follow, and examples are placed alongside the relevant points. However, progression is weakened by the incomplete opening position and the conclusion, which stops mid-thought. Some linking is mechanical, with repeated “Firstly” and “For example,” and punctuation and capitalisation around transitions are inconsistent. To improve, make each paragraph develop one main idea in a clear sequence, use referencing such as “these costs” or “such contributions” to connect sentences, and ensure the final paragraph synthesises the comparison rather than introducing an unfinished claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “financial support,” “pensions,” “financial burden,” “younger generations” and “childcare expenses.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, for example “belove,” “socity,” “medecines,” “countribution” and “experieance.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “an ageing people” and “provide valuable experiences.” Aim to learn accurate forms and collocations as complete phrases, and use more precise language to explain the economic and social effects. For example, “contribute to society” and “share practical knowledge” would express your intended points more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “although” and a relative clause in “knowledge and life experience, which they can share.” Most ideas remain understandable, but errors occur frequently and sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. The opening opinion is grammatically incomplete (“although there are some disadvantages and advantages … are greater”), and the final sentence is unfinished. There are also problems with agreement and sentence construction, as in “other think” and “government has to spend,” as well as inconsistent punctuation and capitalisation after full stops. Practise writing complete clauses, checking subject–verb agreement and articles, and proofreading sentence boundaries before adding more complex structures.

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