Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-13
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 a common argued that having friend with same mindset is better than having friends with who give different opinion. While some believe that friends should those who think the same way, in my opinion, people who sometimes disagree with you can help to broaden your knowledge area.
On the one hand, there are a few reasons that why some think that being friends with those who have similar mindset can be beneficial. The major one is that individuals could find friends who can help them in their different parts of life. Friends with similar mindset, who have same goals, purposes and dreams can be great companion for long time and can help each other in every part of their life. For example, if two students want to go in the same university, can help each other in preparation for entrence exams to get their and can follow the same future dream. As a result, the friendships can be long-lasting.
On the other hand, friends with different mindset could be supportive in many ways. The core reason is that they could increase individual's knowledge in-depth. It is a common a gadge among people that "Coin has two sides" so when you have a friend who can pull the other side of the situation can help you either tackle the problem with different way or switch is with better one. For example, if an employee want to have a conversation to their Boss for appresial, in this situation, his or her co-worker could say this is not the right time to have this conversation along with valid reason so you can improve yourself to put more of their doings for the company on the table in front of the boss. Therefore, they could not improve themselves, but also could get better choices.
In conclusion, although some people believe that friends should be from same mindset, I think that having friends from different opinion could help to improve people more and more.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—having like-minded friends and having friends who disagree—and clearly states your own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as students preparing for entrance exams together and an employee discussing a salary appraisal with a boss. However, there is a tendency to over-generalize in places, and some arguments could be further developed with deeper analysis. Overall, the task is managed well, demonstrating a clear position throughout, which aligns closely with the Band 7 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, with a distinct introduction, two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the text. However, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and some cohesive links feel slightly mechanical, such as the transition 'Therefore, they could not improve themselves, but also could get better choices.' Despite these minor flaws, the overall progression is clear, meeting the criteria for Band 6.5 or a solid Band 7.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and idioms, such as 'broaden your knowledge area' and 'Coin has two sides'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors throughout the essay, such as 'common argued' instead of 'commonly argued', 'friend with same mindset' instead of 'friends with the same mindset', and 'gadge' instead of 'adage'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands. With more precise word choice and careful proofreading, you can easily achieve a higher score in this area.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied structures such as conditional and relative clauses (e.g., 'Friends with similar mindset, who have same goals... can be great companion'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with missing articles ('have friend', 'to their Boss', 'with different way'), pluralization issues ('friends with who give different opinion'), and awkward phrasing. While these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear, they restrict the grammar score to Band 6 due to the frequency of inaccurate complex structures.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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