Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-16
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 6.0)
Some people believes that having a lot of money is the main way to be happy. I partly agree with this idea because money can make your life easier, but I believe that other things are also important for happiness.
Firstly, money can make people happy because it give them comfortable life-style.
People with a lot of money can buy a good home, healthy food, and useful things. They can also travel anywhere, enjoying holidays with their families. For example, a person with a good salary may take their families on holiday and spend relaxing time together.
However, money cannot buy you everything. Family and friends are important for happy life. Spending time with our loved ones can make us feel more comfortable and cared and keep us mentally good. Good health is also important because it allows people to enjoy their daily lives. In addition, having a job that we enjoy can give us satisfaction and confidence.
For example, I feel that spending time with family and friends can be more enjoyable than buying expensive things. Even a simple meal together can create good memories.
In conclusion, having a lot of money can make people happy because it provides comfort and reduces financial stress. However, family, friends, good health and enjoyable work are also important. In my opinion, people need a balance of money and these things to live a happy life.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: how money contributes to happiness and other factors that influence it. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas are relevant, they remain somewhat superficial. For instance, the discussion on 'comfortable lifestyle' and 'family' is clear but lacks detailed elaboration or sophisticated examples that would push the response into a higher band. To improve, you should expand on your points with more specific evidence or nuanced reasoning to ensure the response is fully developed and meets the length requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'However', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion' to link your thoughts. While the structure is sound, the transitions are somewhat mechanical. To reach a higher band, try to use a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that the relationships between sentences are more fluid rather than relying on simple sentence-initial connectors.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. You use common terms like 'comfortable lifestyle', 'financial stress', and 'satisfaction' correctly. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a lack of less common or idiomatic language that would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control. For example, phrases like 'keep us mentally good' are slightly unnatural. To improve, focus on incorporating more precise collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to well-being and socio-economic factors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement ('Some people believes', 'it give them') and article usage ('a happy life' vs 'happy life'). These errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your argument. To improve, pay closer attention to basic subject-verb agreement and pluralization. Incorporating more complex sentence structures with greater accuracy will also help raise your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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