Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-11

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say the main way to be happy in life is to have a lot of money. How might having a lot of money make people happy? What other things in life can make people happy?

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 whether being affluent can make people happy in life or other things such as fitness or real life struggle can provide happiness to them. Everybody considers happiness according their own needs in life. I believe that access to a lot of money can make them happy in different ways and other factors can also foster happiness.

Considering the proponent's belief that huge net worth can make people happy when they can buy anything what they need either for a short term or long term. They relate happiness with money because they consider that from fulfilling their necessities for daily lives today and in their old age they need money as it alleviate their dependence on children, families or charity organizations. In addition to this, people relate success to money which is because famous personalities such as social media stars, actors, artists have abundance of monetary resources to help them develop their personal and professional skills. They confirm that money can help them to be successful in life when they can use that to gain required skills and resources and can build a great reputation in society as they can use it to help others by offering medical services, educational resources to others.

Along with money, there are some other things that can also make mankind happy. Fitness is one of those factors that is responsible for keeping them active and motivated. Although with money they can buy anything but fitness can not be achieved with it until an individual makes physical efforts. People can pay monthly, yearly subscriptions for gym with money or can hire a fitness instructor but when they do activities such as participation in sports, running, and weight lifting, they cannot only win prizes but can also achieve their required level of fitness to stay efficient and productive throughout their whole life. Another thing that may make people happy is doing struggle to achieve a recognition and by delivering diligent efforts the level of satisfaction they get is actually a happiness to many humans.

To conclude, there is no doubt that with money people can buy anything they want and affluent people can create their reputation in society by helping others but to stay happy only monetary funds are not sufficient as many relate happiness to real life struggle and fitness too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the role of money in happiness and alternative sources like fitness and personal struggle. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the section on money is well-supported with examples like financial security and social status, the section on 'struggle' is a bit abstract and could benefit from more concrete examples. The ideas are relevant and the response maintains a consistent focus on the prompt, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0. Given the clarity of the argument, it leans towards a 6.5 as some points are slightly repetitive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition to this', 'Along with money', and 'To conclude' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, though the connection between 'fitness' and 'struggle' in the third paragraph could be more tightly integrated. Overall, the text is easy to follow and the logical flow is maintained throughout, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.5 or 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'affluent', 'monetary resources', and 'diligent efforts'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'doing struggle' instead of 'struggling' or 'the level of satisfaction they get is actually a happiness', which sounds slightly unnatural. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. The range is adequate for a Band 6.0, as the errors do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Everybody considers happiness according their own needs' (missing preposition), 'what they need' (should be 'whatever'), and 'fitness can not be achieved with it until an individual makes physical efforts' (slightly awkward phrasing). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are occasional slips in subject-verb agreement and article usage. The errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the intended message, which is characteristic of a Band 6.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.