Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-03

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)

There is an ongoing debate over whether people with the same interests and perspectives should be friends or not. While many people believe that similarly minded individuals make great friendships, there are a few who think that disagreements among friends help them to grow. Although both the sides have their own merits, from my standpoint, having like- minded friends is a blessing owing to the comfort and ease they have with each other.

One of the major reasons why people should choose friends with different perspectives is that it helps them to boast their knowledge and learn the other side of the story. To elaborate, if two individuals share same thoughts then they are less likely to show progress as there is no one to show them the drawbacks in them. This not only takes away their chances of progress but also affects their critical development since nobody is critising or correcting their flaws. Therefore, peole with different opinions should be friends for enhancing each other's knowledge and to provide them an aspect of the situation which is unknown to them.

On the other hand, friendship among similarly minded individulas is beneficial as it develops understanding among them and assure them that they are at comfort and no one is judging them. To cite an example, I work in a fast food restaurant. Whenever I am working with a friend whose brain processes in the same way as mine, it becomes so stress free and convenient to work which enhances my work performance. As a result, having like-minded friends facilitate humans to be stress-free and calm as they have that feeling that they will be understood.

Taking everything into account, I finally conclude that eventhough opposite individuals as friends are a great combination to reduce mistakes and show improvements, the ease and comfort offered by friends whose brain works in the same way is far more satisfactory.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—having similar friends versus having friends with different opinions—and presents a clear position throughout. The main ideas are generally relevant, but some parts are slightly under-developed or contradictory. For instance, the second paragraph opens with the argument that choosing friends with different perspectives helps to boost knowledge, yet the thesis statement in the introduction leans towards like-minded friends, showing a slight shift in focus. The extension of ideas could be more thoroughly supported with deeper reasoning to reach the higher bands, but it successfully covers the prompt requirements by providing a personal stance and relevant examples, such as the fast-food workplace scenario.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the body paragraphs discussing different perspectives, and concluding with a summary of the writer's opinion. Cohesive devices are used adequately to connect ideas, such as 'To elaborate,' 'On the other hand,' and 'Taking everything into account.' However, some referencing and cohesive links feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the recurring use of 'Similarly minded' and 'like-minded' phrases. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but more fluid transitions between sentences would elevate the response further.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, providing enough range to communicate the main arguments effectively. The student attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'perspectives,' 'critical development,' and 'satisfactory,' but these attempts sometimes suffer from minor inaccuracies in word choice, spelling, and collocation. For example, 'boast their knowledge' should be 'boost their knowledge,' 'peole' contains a spelling error, and 'criticising' is misspelled as 'critising.' Furthermore, phrases like 'the brain processes in the same way' are slightly unnatural. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a vocabulary level that requires more precision and control over less common lexical items.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct compound and subordinate clauses, such as 'While many people believe that...' and 'Whenever I am working with a friend...'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text, including article usage and prepositions, such as 'both the sides' instead of 'both sides' and 'provide them an aspect' instead of 'provide them with an aspect.' However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the argument without difficulty. Good control of basic sentence structures is evident, alongside successful attempts at more complex patterns.

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

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