Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-24

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)

Many people believe that people should make friends who have similar thinking because it provides comfortableness while others argue that having friends who have diverse viewpoints about situations. This essay will highlights the both viewpoints before my opinion in upcoming paragraphs:-

On the one hand, people often prefer to form friendships with individuals who share similar opinions, interests and values because this creates a sense of comfort and mutual understanding. Since they are likely to agree on important issues, they can communicate more easily and avoid unnecessary conflicts. Moreover, with same mind set they build good team and strong relationships with each other, with this they can increase their productivity to perform a task. For example, In schools and universities, students build their own teams according to their choice and preferences to complete an project with more efficiently.

On the other hand, it is important to make friends who have different perspectives cause it helps individuals to understand one situation from different angles. For instance, workplace teams often consist of people with different backgrounds and ideas, allowing members to consider various solutions to a problem. This can improve their critical-thinking and decision-making skills. Secondly, it helps individuals to do right things and take right decisions.

In my view point, having friends who has similar thinking can be more comfortable and convenient but people should also make friends out of their comfort zone because it is important to develop skills such as confidence, communication and problem-solving.

In conclusion, although both friends have their own merits, However, I believe that maintaining friendships with people who have diverse viewpoints is more beneficial for personal development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both viewpoints and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of comfort in like-minded friendships and the benefits of diverse perspectives for critical thinking. However, the development is somewhat limited; the arguments are brief and could benefit from more detailed elaboration or more specific, nuanced examples. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the stance. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more thorough exploration of the reasoning behind the points raised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with sentence-level cohesion, such as the awkward phrasing in the introduction ('This essay will highlights the both viewpoints'). Paragraphing is appropriate, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a more natural progression of ideas. Overall, the structure is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'diverse viewpoints' and 'critical-thinking'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'comfortableness' (instead of 'comfort') and 'complete an project' (instead of 'complete a project'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise collocations and a wider variety of sophisticated vocabulary would be needed for a higher score. The errors do not impede communication.

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 several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('This essay will highlights', 'having friends who has') and article usage ('an project'). Punctuation is mostly functional, though there is an unnecessary comma in the conclusion ('although both friends have their own merits, However, I believe'). The frequency of these errors suggests that while the writer has control over basic structures, complex sentences are not yet consistently accurate. More attention to proofreading for minor grammatical slips would improve the score.

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