Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-28

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, humans life expectancy are higher than ever before. Many people think that older people generate problem for governments, while others believe that it is beneficial to have elder people in the society. From my perspective, although there are some drawbacks, the advantages outweigh them.

On the one hand, people believe that elderly people brings disadvantage for governments. Firstly, older people have more health issues in comparison to adults. They have many health-related problems such as heart disease, sugar or pressure. Because of this, governments have to invest much in healthcare facilities which is costly for governments. For instance, nowadays, medical facilities have higher cost than before. Governments have to invest much in medical facilities by which they cannot invest in other facilities. As a result, economic and environment facilities are less improved. Secondly, governments have to distribute pensions to aging population. The pensions are higher for old people which is also a disadvantage for governments. This leads to higher cost and no work.

On the other hand, aging population is beneficial for the society because they have more experience. Old people can guide other generations which will be beneficial for others. For instance, adults give up faster if they did not succeed in their work. Older people can guide them properly and motivate them by their life problems. As a result, adults get influenced, which encourage them to work hard. Moreover, elder people also play a major role in the family. All the members in the family will listen and work according to older people. Because of this, adults are more succeed in their lives as they listen to older people who have broader knowledge.

In conclusion, although older people brings some drawbacks, i believe there advantages are more as they give p

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you acknowledge disadvantages but argue that the benefits outweigh them. You address both sides and give relevant examples, particularly the idea that older people can guide younger adults through their experience. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The disadvantages focus mainly on healthcare and pensions, while claims such as pensions leading to “no work” are unclear. The benefits are also presented broadly, with little explanation of how older people’s family influence translates into wider social advantages. The conclusion begins to restate your view but ends unfinished, so it does not fully consolidate your argument. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation and a specific, relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for disadvantages and advantages, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” makes the direction of the argument easy to follow. Within paragraphs, you also use cause-and-effect links, including “Because of this” and “As a result.” However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “This leads to higher cost and no work” does not clearly follow from the pension point, and the final sentence stops before completing the conclusion. Improve cohesion by making each sentence’s relationship to the previous one explicit and by using pronouns and linking phrases with clear references.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “life expectancy,” “health-related problems,” “pensions,” and “broader knowledge.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural or imprecise, which sometimes makes the meaning harder to follow. Examples include “sugar or pressure” for medical conditions, “economic and environment facilities,” and “higher cost and no work.” Repetition of “older people,” “governments,” and “invest” also limits flexibility. Aim to learn accurate topic collocations and use more precise terms, such as “healthcare expenditure” and “pension payments.” Check word forms and spelling as well, including “elderly” and “their advantages.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, using structures such as “although there are some drawbacks” and “Because of this,” and the main argument is generally understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “humans life expectancy are” has problems with both the possessive form and subject–verb agreement; “elderly people brings” should have a plural verb; and “adults are more succeed” uses an incorrect adjective form. Some longer sentences are also awkwardly constructed, as in “Governments have to invest much in medical facilities by which they cannot invest in other facilities.” Work on subject–verb agreement, verb patterns, and sentence boundaries, then proofread each sentence for a complete and accurate structure.

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