Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-31

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)

It is often argued among people that some individuals prefer friends who have the same opinions; however, others believe that they should have friends with different opinions. In this essay, I will discuss both perspectives and explain why I support the latter view.

On the one hand, one of the main reasons why people choose friends with the same opinions is that they think that if their friends have the same thinking as them, it may cause fewer arguments. For example, when friends have the same choice for watching movie, they can enjoy such moments more. In addition, having the same thinking is also helpful in understanding each other easily and helps in difficult situations. Therefore, people can spend their free time with their friends and make it memorable.

On the other hand, there are also many advantages of making friends with different opinions. Firstly, with the help of these friends, people can make their decisions wisely and communicate with friends in a meaningful way, which helps them to improve their communication skills. Secondly, individuals may become more patience in their lives, as they have friends with different ways of thinking. Sometimes, they have to listen to them carefully without arguing. For instance, in college, while discuss for assignment topic some students have plan to choose distinct topic than other classmates. Hence, people can enhance their different skills and improve their confidence.

In conclusion, although having a friend with the same behaviour is benefical to get help in difficult situations, I believe that have friends with different opinion can assist individuals to build their confidence and make strong decisions.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion7.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both perspectives and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, though some development is slightly superficial. For example, the argument regarding 'patience' is a good point, but it could be further extended with a more concrete explanation of how disagreement fosters emotional intelligence. The conclusion effectively summarizes the position. Overall, the response is well-structured and fulfills the requirements of the task, though it could benefit from more depth in the supporting examples to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', and 'Firstly' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints. However, there are minor instances where the flow could be smoother, such as the transition between the second and third sentences in the second paragraph. The referencing is generally clear, and the progression of ideas is logical throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'memorable' and 'distinct', which are used correctly. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'same thinking' instead of 'same opinions' or 'same mindset', and 'benefical' (spelling error). The range is sufficient for the task, but more sophisticated vocabulary would be needed to achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some error-free sentences, there are persistent grammatical errors, such as 'more patience' (should be 'more patient'), 'while discuss for assignment' (should be 'while discussing assignment topics'), and 'have friends with different opinion' (should be 'having friends with different opinions'). These errors do not impede communication, but they indicate a need for more consistent control over complex structures and subject-verb agreement.

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