Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-19

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 have longer lives than old times.Many people believe that old population generate many difficulties for authorties whereas some individuals argue that, having more elderly people is beneficial for our society.I strongly believe that having aging population creates many problems for our government.

Nowadays, people are living longer than before due to many reasons such as they prefer eating clean, taking their suppliments regularly and doing exercise makes them healther and longer lives.Senior population helps many youngsters in their lives through their experiences.New generation can get help from elderly people in many aspects of life such as social, economical and cultural.Old people also help young people to learn about their nroms and culture.For example, grandparents helps childern to leran about their culture and religion by telling them stories.

On the other hand, some people argue that aging population creates many problems for governments.As having old people makes difficult for government to provide facilities that can be provided to young generation such as more job vacancies if old people do not get retire from their jobs it will make difficult for young people to have job positions regardless of their qualification.Whereas mostly old people criticise adults regarding their jobs or personal life which also limit their confidence and self esteem.

To sum up, i would like to say that although having old people in our society have many benefits but its disadvantages outweigh its disadvantages.Old people should improve their behaviour towards young people. They should be more kind and polite.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a clear overall view that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, and you include relevant points on both sides. The examples of grandparents passing on culture and older workers limiting job opportunities for younger people help address the topic. However, the position is not fully consistent: the introduction says an aging population creates many problems, while the conclusion says its disadvantages outweigh its disadvantages, which does not clearly state the intended comparison. Several ideas are also asserted rather than explained—for example, criticism from older people is said to reduce young people’s confidence, but its wider significance is not developed. Clarify the comparison and explain the effects of each main point more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, discussion of benefits, a contrasting paragraph on problems, and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand” and “To sum up” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the first body paragraph moves from reasons for longer lives to the benefits of elders without explaining the connection. Some links are also awkward or repetitive, and the conclusion repeats the opposing view without resolving it clearly. Organise each body paragraph around one main claim, then develop it with an explanation and example. Clearer referencing and more precise transitions would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “elderly people,” “job vacancies,” “qualification,” and “self esteem,” and the reader can generally understand your intended meaning. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, such as “old population,” “generate many difficulties,” and “makes them healther and longer lives.” Spelling errors—including “suppliments,” “nroms,” and “childern”—also make the writing less controlled. Some expressions are repeated, particularly references to “old people” and “young people.” Build a more precise range for discussing demographic change, public services, employment, and intergenerational support, and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a sentence beginning “Whereas” and a clause explaining how grandparents teach children. However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries occur throughout. For example, “grandparents helps” should use a plural verb, while “having old people in our society have many benefits” has an unclear subject–verb structure. The opening also runs sentences together without appropriate spacing or punctuation. These problems sometimes make relationships between ideas difficult to interpret. Practise building accurate sentences around one main clause, then add subordinate clauses, and check agreement and punctuation carefully.

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