Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-04
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people think it's better to choose friends who always have the same opinions as them. Other people believe it's good to have friends who sometimes disagree with them.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 6.0)
Some people believe that it is good to have friends with similar opinions, while others claim that it's good to have friends who sometimes disagree. This essay will discuss both views and justify my opinion.
On the one hand, friends with the same opinion provide several benefits. A similar mindset can strengthen the friendship and build trust between them. They don't hesitate to ask another friend for any kind of decision in friendship, and such friendships last longer. For example, some school friends become business partners and build their business together. Moreover, similar opinions reduce misunderstandings and wrong beliefs about each other.
On the other hand, some people claim that friends with divided opinions would be better because they can correct each other if one is wrong, and friendship is only true when one is correcting you in your bad time. For instance, one friend is asking another friend to stop smoking because it is not good for their health. Therefore, a good friend is not only the one who gives support for the wrong thing, but also is the one who can correct each other and make the future bright.
In my opinion, friends should sometimes disagree whenever necessary and correct each other when needed. This kind of attitude and understanding make a friendship stronger and long lasting.
To conclude, although friendship with similar opinions brings several benefits, such as the same perception and building trust. However, friends who correct you at every step would be more trustworthy and long-lasting as compared to same opinions.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both viewpoints and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of shared mindsets for trust and the value of constructive disagreement for personal growth. However, the development is somewhat limited. The arguments are brief and could benefit from more detailed explanation or more sophisticated examples to reach a higher band. The position is consistent throughout, but the conclusion repeats points already made rather than synthesising them into a more nuanced final thought. Overall, it meets the requirements of the task well.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the final sentence of the conclusion is grammatically awkward and disrupts the logical progression of the summary. Despite these minor issues, the information is presented in a coherent manner.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use some less common vocabulary, such as 'perception' and 'trustworthy', but the range is somewhat limited. Some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'wrong beliefs' or 'bad time', which could be more naturally phrased as 'misconceptions' or 'difficult times'. There are no significant spelling errors, and the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning without causing confusion for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For example, 'one friend is asking another friend' should be 'one friend asks another', and the sentence 'However, friends who correct you at every step would be more trustworthy and long-lasting as compared to same opinions' contains a structural error regarding the comparison. Punctuation is generally correct, but the sentence variety is somewhat restricted. The errors present do not impede communication, but they do prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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