Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-30

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)

Some would argue that choosing friend with same level of thinking is better while other believe it is better to have friends who have contradictory opinion. Although, friends are the one who can have influence on the person more than anyone else, I believe that good friends are the ones who can disagree with you on your bad decision and bring you to the right path.

Having friends with similar mindset and thinking can be crucial in some cases, as the bonding between individuals deepens while the relation could last longer. They eventually build a stronger connection. For example, a study in Britain showed that children in classroom are tend to make friends easily who shares similar behavior rather than who have different opinion. However, I believe this could led children to not diversify there thinking and processing capacity.

Furthermore, Individual who have friends that sometime denies and do not agree with there decisions tend to have competitive personality and have diverse ideas as they can explore more options and be successful. Friends with different mindset can help you to take better decision in life which is not less than a blessing. For example, psychologists believe that those who have friends from different profession tend to have better decision making skills. For this reason, I believe it is better to have friend who sometimes disagree.

In conclusion, although having friend with same opinion could be better in early life and helps you to make friendship stronger but individual who can raise voice on your bad decision can help you to be successful in life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both viewpoints and clearly stating a personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of shared values for bonding and the advantages of diverse perspectives for decision-making. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example regarding children in Britain is a bit generic and could be more effectively linked to the broader argument. The position is clear throughout, but the supporting arguments would benefit from more depth and specific, nuanced examples to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Furthermore', 'However', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the opening sentence. The use of paragraphing is appropriate, and the essay maintains a consistent focus on the topic throughout, ensuring that the reader is never lost.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'contradictory opinion', 'diversify', and 'decision-making skills'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'same level of thinking' instead of 'similar mindset', and 'raise voice on your bad decision' instead of 'challenge your poor decisions'. There are also minor spelling errors like 'there' instead of 'their'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band 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., 'children in classroom are tend to make', 'Individual who have friends... tend to have') and article usage. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some missing commas in complex sentences. The errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to pluralization and verb forms would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

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