Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-22

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)

With the advancement of technology, socializing has become more common with no restriction of geographical boundaries. When it comes to make friends, most of people search for similar beliefs and personalities while others give preference to people of different persona. This essay will examine both concepts along with reasons why I choose latter view.

On the one side, sharing common interests will help friends to enjoy more in their leisure time by choosing the activities which are enjoyable for both. In other words, no one has to compromise their pleasure when choosing any activity for entertainment. To illustrate, people often tend to get bored when they have to spend time with people of different interests as they generally find it difficult to mingle with each other because of limited information to share. Also, there will be less chances of clashes among acquaintance if they share mutual interest unlike folks of different personalities.

On the other hand, people who disagree with making friends of similar opinion hold the view that it will keep them in restricted horizons in terms of knowledge and information. As when they find someone having the opinion against their thinking, they get to think out of the box. Their horizons then grow bigger than their original thought. For example, most of the schools hold debate competitions in classes so that students can start thinking about any topic from different perspective instead of only one. This trend will help them to succeed in their life by making meaningful choices with proper evaluation of any idea.

In conclusion, choice of making friends highly depends upon a person’s willingness. However, I believe interacting with people of different opinions have a edge over other in terms of getting benefits in practical life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both viewpoints and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the mention of debate competitions to illustrate the benefits of diverse perspectives. However, the development of the first viewpoint is slightly more superficial compared to the second. The position is consistent throughout, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the stance. To reach a higher band, ensure that the arguments for both sides are balanced in depth and that the personal opinion is integrated more seamlessly into the body paragraphs rather than just the introduction and conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one side', 'In other words', and 'On the other hand' are used effectively to signal shifts in the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there is occasional awkwardness in referencing, such as 'the latter view' which could be more explicitly linked to the specific argument. Overall, the structure is clear and supports the reader's understanding of the writer's position.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses some good collocations like 'geographical boundaries' and 'practical life'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and phrasing, such as 'disagree with making friends' (which should be 'disagree with the idea of making friends') and 'have a edge over other' (which should be 'have an edge over the other'). While the range is adequate, it lacks the more sophisticated, precise vocabulary that would characterize a higher band score. Expanding the range of synonyms and idiomatic expressions would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent minor grammatical errors, such as 'most of people' (should be 'most people'), 'no one has to compromise their pleasure' (slightly unnatural), and 'there will be less chances' (should be 'fewer chances'). Punctuation is generally correct, but there are some issues with article usage and pluralization. The grammatical control is sufficient to communicate ideas without difficulty, but the frequency of these small errors prevents a higher score.

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

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