Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-07

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)

Happiness has always been related with money. Almost everyone has the prospective that more money will make a person happy. It is true to some extent as there are other factors that plays a crucial role in one's happiness. i will be giving my reasoning in the upcoming paragraphs..

Having a significant amount of money can most certainly make everyone happy, it can eliminate most of the problems in a person's life for example, a person does not have to compromise with the level of education he/she themselves or their children will get if they have enough money to fund their education. Moreover, a sufficient sum of money can help people pursue their dreams such as buying their dream car, laptop or a house. Additionally being able to provide for your family not only advances a single person's happiness but the family's as a whole.

Other things that contribute to make a person happy is the environment they are living in, without a doubt money can buy you a lavish lifestyle but having a mansion and living happily in that mansion are two completely different things, for instance a person living in solitude will not be happy regardless of the money he/she has. Furthermore, having good friends and a loving family plays an critical role in anyone's life, not only this provides stability but a meaning to the happiness too.

In conclusion, money has always been a strong factor of happiness in anyone's life. Money gives you access to many doors that lead to happiness such as maintaining your family, your friends, all which contributes towards the collective happiness in everyone's life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: how money contributes to happiness and other factors that influence it. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, such as the mention of education and family stability. However, the development is somewhat superficial in places. For instance, the explanation of how money provides access to 'many doors' in the conclusion is a bit vague. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced examples or deeper analysis of the relationship between wealth and emotional well-being, rather than listing items like 'laptop' or 'car'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'Furthermore' to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved; the introduction is quite brief and contains a minor punctuation error ('paragraphs..'). The referencing is generally clear, but the flow between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother to better contrast the role of money with other factors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'lavish lifestyle', 'solitude', and 'stability'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'prospective' instead of 'perspective' and 'plays' instead of 'play' (subject-verb agreement). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing like 'happiness in anyone's life'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'factors that plays' should be 'factors that play', and 'an critical role' should be 'a critical role'. Additionally, there are some run-on sentences and comma splices, such as '...make everyone happy, it can eliminate...'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and punctuation.

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

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