Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 18 · 2026-10-31

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 5.0)

I think if any country has elder people they benefits the society rather than creates problems for goverment because elder people know about old cultures and old world wars and political information which is helplful for today generation to know about it.

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To commence with, there are many advantages of this trend. First of all, elder people are more wisdom than younger one because they know all the things about life and they know what the life really is some of the youngsters don't know the meaning of life if they sit with the elder people like with their grandfather then they know about these things which nobody tells him or her. For instance, if one child sit and talk with their elders they are more good at tell any information about past example world wars, politicals wars and something which only happened in their granpa's era.

On the other hand, some people think elder people creates problem for government because of pensions and other elder schemes. Government needs more funds if more elder people live in thier country because they need funds to pay for elder's people pensions and other schemes and who has government jobs they also take pension from government so if less elder people live in country less pressure is on government but i think its not true because everyone pay tax so why government has any problem with elder people.

In conclusion, i beleive that this trend has more advantages than disadvantages because everyone pay tax so why government have any problem with elder people

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You take a position that the benefits outweigh the problems, and you address both sides by discussing older people’s knowledge and the cost of pensions. These points are relevant, but the response only partially develops the question: the benefits focus mainly on passing on historical knowledge, while the disadvantages are reduced to government spending. The claim that “everyone pay tax” does not explain how this resolves the pressure on public funds, and there is little consideration of other effects of an aging population. To strengthen the response, explain how each point affects society and support it with a specific, relevant example. Make your comparison of the advantages and disadvantages more explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening position, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph presenting a concern, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “First of all,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers identify these sections. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, and ideas are often repeated rather than developed; the point about older people sharing knowledge appears in both the opening and the first body paragraph, while the tax argument is repeated in the conclusion. Some long sentences combine several ideas without clear links, making the reasoning harder to follow. Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain and illustrate it, and use referencing and linking phrases more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “pensions,” “government,” “political information,” and “world wars.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. Examples include “elder people,” “more wisdom,” “elder schemes,” and “politicals wars”; the repeated use of “things” and “information” also keeps the discussion general. Spelling errors such as “goverment,” “beleive,” and “thier” further reduce accuracy. Build a more precise vocabulary for discussing aging and public services, and check word forms and collocations when editing. For example, use “older people” and “have greater wisdom” rather than the less natural forms in the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use basic structures to express a position and give examples, but the range is limited and errors are frequent. Subject–verb agreement is often incorrect, as in “elder people they benefits” and “everyone pay tax”; verb forms and sentence construction are also faulty in “if one child sit and talk” and “they are more good at tell.” Articles, plurals, and possessives need attention, as in “the life,” “younger one,” and “elder's people pensions.” Several sentences run together without clear punctuation, particularly the long explanation of pension costs. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then combine them using subordinate clauses, checking agreement and punctuation in each sentence.

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