Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-25

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)

In many nations, today individuals survive for longer years than it used to be in the past. While some argue that senior citizens cause issues for governments, others believe that they are beneficial for the society. Though this requires the government to introduce and modify various rules, I completely agree that their existence will provide invaluable support for their grandchildren.

The primary problem for the authorities to have aged people in the community is to implement or change policies that are essential for the elderly. Senior citizens earn very little when compared to other individuals to manage their daily expenses. If this money is taxed, it would have a detrimental effect on their living, thereby the officials are forced to make changes to the taxation policies. For example, in India, income earned by senior citizens is tax-free and they are provided with monthly freebies, which puts burden on the government to allocate budget for the elderly.

Conversely, having older people in the society is advantageous for creating a generation of young people with high moral values. In today's world, parents are very busy in their career and have no time to take care of their children. However, grandparents can teach thier grandchildren with their wisdom and life experiences, when parents cannot provide necessary attention for their kids. For instance, senior citizens take their grandkids for parks which helps them develop critical inter-personal skills since they communicate and play with children of their age rather than being at home.

In conclusion, although the authorities face challenges in having elderly people in the society, the significant advantages they provide in the upbringing of children with moral values outweighs the disadvantage.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you acknowledge that an ageing population creates costs, but argue that its benefits outweigh them. You address both sides and support them with relevant examples, including tax concessions in India and grandparents’ role in children’s development. This meets the task well, and the clear stance and supporting examples show some of the qualities of a stronger response. However, the advantages are developed mainly through one benefit—helping grandchildren—and the link between this and the broader claim about society is not fully explained. The disadvantage paragraph also focuses narrowly on taxation rather than exploring other government pressures. Develop the comparison more fully and explain why the benefits outweigh the costs overall.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for disadvantages and advantages, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Conversely” and “In conclusion” make the argument’s direction clear. Examples are placed alongside the points they support, which helps the reader understand the reasoning. To make the organisation more flexible and cohesive, strengthen the links between claims and explanations: for example, clarify how grandparents’ care leads to the stated social benefit, rather than moving quickly from supervision to moral values and interpersonal skills. Some transitions are formulaic, so use referencing and logical connections between sentences as well as paragraph-opening signals.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “senior citizens,” “detrimental effect,” “taxation policies,” and “life experiences.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions show an effort to write in an appropriately formal style. However, several word choices and collocations are imprecise or unnatural, such as “survive for longer years,” “beneficial for the society,” and “teach their grandchildren with their wisdom.” There is also a spelling error in “thier.” These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for more conventional academic collocations and check spelling carefully; for instance, describe people as “living longer” and say grandparents “pass on their wisdom.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “Though this requires the government…” and a conditional structure beginning “If this money is taxed…”. Most sentences remain understandable, and the grammar errors do not generally obstruct your meaning. Some errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction remain, however. In the conclusion, “the significant advantages … outweighs the disadvantage” has a plural subject with a singular verb, and “for the society” uses an unnecessary article. The opening comparison, “longer years than it used to be in the past,” is also structurally awkward. Review subject–verb agreement and article use, and revise complex sentences to ensure their comparisons and clauses are complete and clear.

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