Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-21

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)

Life expectancy is rising ever than before in most of the countries. Some individuals believe that older citizens are creating problems for the governing bodies, meanwhile other argue that older people are beneficial for the society. This essay will discuss both the perspectives, pleasant and unpleasant factors of having older people in big proportion.

The benefits of having more older people in countries is that they are more experienced in many stages of life and posses' greater amount of knowledge then the young society. Like many mid-aged people still are depend upon their parents for learning life lessons, as well as they learn how to deal with different kinds of people and how live an independent life. Another positive impact of older inhabitants, is that they display the results of healthy, successful society meaning that people's life standards are improved they take good care of their health's. For instance people of age 65 and plus are seen in physical sports complex , having one of the exercises; swimming, golf, gym or even squash.

On the other hand the unpleasant factors of having a large number of old people in the society results in higher pension and healthcare costs. As older people are considered to be respected they are offered free healthcare services and given pension so they can have an easy living which imposes financial burden on the government. The governing bodies faces the challenge of taxes which are paid by fewer working-age groups. Due to this factor many people take people of age group 60 and plus as a burden.

In conclusion, many countries have massive populace of older people, on which some people argue that they cause difficulties for government and on the other hand some people older people are a blessing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both sides of the question and include relevant points: older people can share life experience, while pensions and healthcare can increase public spending. However, the task asks you to judge whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and your position is not made clear. The introduction says you will discuss both perspectives, while the conclusion repeats that opinions differ without stating which side you support. The benefits are also only partly explained: the examples of older people exercising suggest good health, but do not clearly show how this benefits society. Develop fewer points more fully and finish with a direct, supported comparison of the two sides.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, a paragraph on drawbacks, and a conclusion. This makes the main direction easy to follow. You also use signposting such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” to mark shifts between sections. However, some links are mechanical or unclear: “Like many mid-aged people…” does not connect smoothly to the preceding claim, and the final sentence is difficult to follow because it repeats “some people” and leaves the contrast incomplete. Improve progression within paragraphs by explaining how each example supports its main point, and use clearer referencing so readers can follow the relationships between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “life expectancy,” “financial burden,” “working-age groups,” and “healthcare services.” These choices show awareness of the subject, but inaccurate word choice and collocation are noticeable and sometimes make ideas less clear. For example, “pleasant and unpleasant factors” is not a natural way to describe advantages and disadvantages, and “massive populace” is an awkward phrase for a large older population. There are also spelling and word-form errors, such as “posses’” and “then” where “than” is intended. Aim for precise, natural combinations and check spelling and forms; this will make your argument easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple sentences and attempts at longer structures, including clauses beginning with “As” and “Due to this factor.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “The governing bodies faces” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “how live an independent life” is missing a grammatical element. The sentence beginning “Another positive impact…” also runs several ideas together without clear sentence boundaries. Practise building accurate complex sentences, checking that each clause has a subject and verb, and reviewing agreement and punctuation before submitting.

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