Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

Friends play a crucial role in shaping one's personality and decisions. The majority of individuals believe that choosing friends who have similar opinions is better for development, whilst others find that disagreement with friends teaches valuable life lessons. This essay will discuss both viewpoints along with why I believe that friends with different opinions are more beneficial.

On one hand, friends with the same thinking can make relationships stronger and deeper. In such cases, people can share values, beliefs and are less likely to argue on important issues. Therefore, it leads to a peaceful and comfortable friendship where individuals can enjoy the same hobbies, support each other and communicate without hesitation. For example, friends who have the same career goals can share information with each other and encourage each other's decisions.

On the other hand, friends with different opinions help individuals grow and broaden their horizons. They introduce individuals to different perspectives, challenge assumptions and improve critical thinking. One can become open-minded to all opinions which can help to enhance their problem-solving skills. For example, by receiving different views, one can handle a difficult situation with the implications of different ideas.

In my opinion, having friends with different interests can encourage personal growth. It can open doors to different learning opportunities. People can pursue any interest or hobby out of their comfort zone to become more adaptable and flexible.

Overall, although having similar thoughts makes friendship easier and relatable, challenging each other's viewpoints could be more adventurous. It may bring sparks to life by making each conversation more interesting and playful.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both viewpoints and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the paragraph on the benefits of differing opinions effectively explains how this fosters critical thinking and problem-solving. However, the development of the personal opinion paragraph is slightly thin compared to the body paragraphs; it could have been strengthened by providing a specific personal example or a more detailed explanation of how this growth manifests in real-life scenarios. Overall, the response maintains a consistent position throughout the essay, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the transition between the two viewpoints is handled well using standard cohesive devices like 'On one hand' and 'On the other hand'. The use of linking words such as 'Therefore' and 'Although' helps to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different stages of the discussion. While the flow is logical, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat standard; incorporating a wider variety of referencing or more sophisticated transition markers would elevate the coherence to a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning with some flexibility. You have used some good collocations and topic-specific phrases such as 'broaden their horizons', 'challenge assumptions', and 'personal growth'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, though some choices are slightly repetitive or could be more precise. For example, 'make relationships stronger' is clear but could be more academic. The spelling is accurate throughout, and the word choice is generally appropriate for the task. To reach a higher band, focus on using more nuanced synonyms and idiomatic expressions that sound more natural in an academic context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You have successfully used conditional structures and relative clauses, such as 'friends who have the same career goals can share information'. The grammar is generally accurate, and errors are rare and do not impede communication. Punctuation is used correctly to support the structure of your sentences. While the control is good, the range of complex structures could be further expanded to include more varied subordinate clauses or passive constructions to demonstrate higher-level grammatical flexibility. Overall, the writing is clear and error-free enough to warrant a solid score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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