Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-24

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 6.0)

In recent times, friends are a real asset for everyone and plays a vital role more than blood relations. Some people believe that one should choose friend with should have same perspective while others think opposite viewpoint people are better. This essay will discuss both the opinions.

People easily attract those with the same mindset at a very young age. For instance, in a university group project, if colleagues have same opinion on a topic they start discussing more about it and end up with a stronger bond as compared to the others who have opposite mindset for the same topic. People start inviting their friends to their home for further studies which results in a good connection between them. That is the reason, university and school friends have stronger friendships than office colleagues.

On the other hand, when people become more practical in their lives and they have been pursuing with the same mindset from past decade. They start searching for the opposite thinking people so they can see the world with different perspective. For example, at a workplace if someone has given a task to achieve it in 30 minutes and they take 2 hours to complete it and shows it to their boss and they get a better ways to achieve it in less than 30 minutes. But, it is not possible to have friendly bond with your boss and colleagues. In my perspective, It is good to have people with opposite thinking in professional life but in real or personal life people need those who have similar interests.

All in all, people have same interests are easy to make friends with than those who have opposite mindsets. In professional environment people meet opposite mindset people however, they are most likely in competition than those who meet you in real life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on choosing friends with similar or differing opinions, and the student's own opinion is stated, albeit somewhat late in the essay. Ideas are presented and supported with examples, such as university group projects and workplace scenarios. However, some arguments lack full development and clarity, particularly the example regarding the workplace boss, which becomes a bit convoluted and deviates slightly into a discussion about professional hierarchies rather than purely personal friendships. The position is generally clear by the end, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 6, where all parts of the task are addressed, though some ideas remain under-developed or unclear.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing viewpoints. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'On the other hand' and 'All in all' are used, but referencing within sentences can be confusing (e.g., 'when people become more practical in their lives and they have been pursuing with the same mindset from past decade'). The progression of ideas is occasionally disrupted by awkward transitions and ambiguous pronouns. These features fit comfortably within the Band 6 descriptor, where the overall arrangement is coherent, but cohesive devices can be faulty or mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'perspective', 'asset', and 'practical'. However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'friends are a real asset... and plays' (subject-verb agreement/word form), 'choose friend with should have same perspective', and 'opposite viewpoint people'. Spelling and word formation are occasionally inaccurate (e.g., 'pursuing with the same mindset from past decade'). While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the precision of the language. This performance aligns with Band 6, which requires an adequate range for the task with some inaccuracy in less common vocabulary and word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('friends... plays'), article usage ('the same opinion'), and missing prepositions or incorrect verb patterns ('friends with should have', 'colleagues have same opinion'). Sentences can be overly long and tangled, such as 'when people become more practical in their lives and they have been pursuing with the same mindset from past decade', which lack a main verb clause. Despite these errors, they rarely completely impede communication. This balance of a mixed structural range and noticeable grammatical errors places the response securely at Band 5.5 to 6.0; given the frequency of errors, a score of 5.5 is appropriate.

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

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