Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-15

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)

In many countries, people are now living longer than ever before. Few people state that an aging population produces problems for governments. At the same time, other people think there are benefits if society has more elderly people. I agree with both statements to some extent, although i believe that one is more convincing than the other.

Elderly people are in the need of more care and facilities. The healthcare sections need more advance technology to cope with it, due to the reason that, after a certain age, older people starts catching more diseases, the government need to provide more facilities to the hospitals. They will also require a caretaker, who should be with them throughout the day, because at this age they are not even able to do simple daily routine tasks. For instance, they can not even take shower themself. All these things are handled by the state, which put more pressure on them.

At the same time, i think that older people are mainly responsible for preserving culture. It will not be able to have traditional values without them in socities, home, etc. Moreover, they are the wealth of knowledge, they share their experiences with people who need them the most. As a parent and grandparent, they act as a pillar of support, they provide emotional support to their grandchildrens also. Apart from this, they also help parents raise their children with good values.

Overall, it is clear that having more elderly people is only pressuring the policy makers. Most of the families love spending time their parents, for them its a privillege to have their parents with them for so long.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question, identifying the pressure on healthcare and government services as a disadvantage and the cultural and family contributions of older people as benefits. Your position is only partly clear, however: the introduction says you agree with both views but does not state clearly whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, while the conclusion says an aging population is “only pressuring the policy makers” before shifting to the value families place on parents. This makes your final judgement difficult to follow. The supporting ideas are relevant, but several are asserted rather than explained—for example, the cultural role of older people is not linked to why it outweighs the public costs. State your comparison directly and develop the strongest reasons with specific explanation or examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph on disadvantages, one on benefits, and a conclusion. The contrast between the two main body paragraphs is clear, and phrases such as “At the same time” and “Moreover” help signal relationships. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes weakened by lists of related points rather than a developed line of reasoning. In the benefits paragraph, cultural preservation, shared experience, emotional support, and help with childcare are introduced in quick succession without showing how they connect or compare in importance. The conclusion also does not clearly resolve the contrast established earlier. Group related points, use clearer references, and make the final paragraph explicitly weigh the two sides.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “preserving culture,” “traditional values,” “emotional support,” and “policy makers,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There is some attempt to use less common expressions, but several choices are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “healthcare sections,” “wealth of knowledge,” and “a caretaker, who should be with them throughout the day.” Spelling and word-form errors, including “socities,” “privillege,” and “grandchildrens,” also reduce control. Some wording is repetitive, particularly the repeated references to “more facilities” and support. Aim for precise, natural collocations and check spelling; for example, describe pressure on “healthcare services” and older people’s “valuable knowledge and experience.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a reason clause beginning “because” and a relative clause in “a caretaker, who should be with them.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction occur across the response. For example, “older people starts catching” should use a plural verb, and “the government need” also requires agreement. The sentence beginning “The healthcare sections need more advance technology to cope with it, due to the reason that…” is difficult to control and contains several clauses joined awkwardly. Capitalise “I” consistently, and revise comma splices such as “As a parent and grandparent, they act as a pillar of support, they provide…” into separate or properly linked sentences. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas easier to follow.

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