Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-07

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 6.5)

Like family, friends also play a crucial role in the development of human being. But there are some points in time when some friends always say 'yes' to every kind of human decision while others do not give the same opinion which a person have about any topic. In the upcoming paragraphs, I'll discuss both these approaches and points out their pros and cons.

To start with friends who are not agree with every opinion that other person is having, there are many benefits of having friends like these. First of all, it represents a different way of thinking to an individual. It helps him/her to think again about a decision from a different angle. Maybe at end, the individual also agree with his/her friend's different opinion. Furthermore, in today's world, many people try to please their friends by agreeing to whatever they are saying even though that is totally wrong. They try to sugarcoating others to make their own profits. Like many rich people are surrounded by many fake friends to take their advantage. Thus, it is important to have some friends who actually help you not themselves

However, the other view also have some of its own valid points. Firstly, sometimes having friends with same kind of mentality and thoughts, make people more confident in decision making. When friends express same opinion, it gives a person boost to take right steps in their life. In addition to this, friends sharing same behaviour and thinking helps people to move on from bad decisions in their life. When people hear their friends saying that it would be the best choice to do in those situations, people do not feel regret about any of their bad decision in their life.

At last, in my opinion, people must have some friends in their life who assist them in their life's correct decisions and at the same time object to any wrong opinion to give them the right direction to move.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefit of critical thinking versus the comfort of shared perspectives. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding 'fake friends' is a bit tangential to the core prompt about opinions, and the explanation of how shared opinions help one 'move on from bad decisions' is slightly underdeveloped and lacks clarity. To reach a higher band, ensure that every point directly supports the prompt and provides more specific, logical elaboration.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. Cohesive devices such as 'To start with', 'Furthermore', and 'In addition to this' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are occasional issues with referencing, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the opening paragraph. The flow is generally smooth, but more sophisticated linking words would improve the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common collocations, such as 'sugarcoating others' and 'mentality and thoughts'. However, there are also some inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'human decision' instead of 'personal decisions' and 'take their advantage' instead of 'take advantage of them'. The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise word choices and idiomatic expressions would be needed for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'friends who are not agree', 'other view also have') and article usage. Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'it gives a person boost to take right steps'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on consistent verb forms and article placement would significantly improve the accuracy.

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

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