Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-20

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)

It is often argued that more financial stability is the primary driver for well-being and satisfaction in life. High financial stability certainly reduces stress and brings greater happiness. Few people say that money can bring you happiness, but it ruins your discipline and brings unnecessary stress.

People from middle-class families think having a lot of money could solve most of their problems in life, such as housing needs, healthcare, and family debts and many more. A family's basic necessities depend on their monthly paycheck-to-paycheck by calculating their spending. For instance, studies show that lower-income families end up with high rates of chronic stress, deaths and financial insecurity, which doesn't provide peace of mind.

On the other hand, an excessive amount of money can help you to pay the bills, but it ruins your mental and physical health. It has the other story of having more money, but no one sees your extended long working hours to maintain the legacy of the family and wealth. Another important point is that it also strains your relationships with friends and family.

Many high-earning corporate employees might earn more, but they can also have high chronic stress, as it ruins their health and drains personal energy. Consequently, true fulfillment stems more from strong bonds and financial stability than from good health.

In conclusion, money can help to pay the bills and bring immense respect in society, but it also ruins your mental health and brings you unwanted problems too. Ultimately, money should be treated as merely a tool and a form of security rather than the measure of an important life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both how money can bring happiness through reducing stress and fulfilling basic needs, and exploring alternative sources of happiness such as strong relationships and well-being. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. For instance, the second paragraph mentions how lower-income families face chronic stress and housing needs, which is a good point, but the connection between money and happiness becomes slightly contradictory later on, particularly when the essay states that true fulfillment stems from strong bonds yet also notes that money brings immense respect in society. The position is clear throughout, but some arguments feel a bit repetitive regarding the negative impacts of working long hours. Overall, the task is adequately addressed, earning a solid Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised, separating the discussion on financial needs, the drawbacks of excessive wealth, and the concluding thoughts. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or faulty. For example, the transition phrase 'It has the other story of having more money' is awkward and unnatural. Furthermore, referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the concluding paragraph where 'merely a tool' links back to money, but the logical flow between sentences feels slightly disjointed due to abrupt shifts in perspective. Paragraphs are identifiable, but progression from one idea to the next could be smoother with better cohesive devices, placing this performance at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Words and phrases such as 'financial stability,' 'basic necessities,' 'chronic stress,' and 'corporate employees' show a reasonable ability to discuss the topic. However, there are noticeable limitations and occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'maintain the legacy of the family and wealth' and 'drains personal energy,' which sound slightly unnatural. Spelling is generally accurate, but the overall lexical range lacks the flexibility and precision required for higher bands, as the writer tends to reuse terms like 'stress' and 'money' frequently. This fits the criteria for Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer attempts some complex structures, such as 'People from middle-class families think having a lot of money could solve most of their problems in life, such as housing needs...' and 'Many high-earning corporate employees might earn more, but they can also have high chronic stress...'. While there are error-free sentences, there are also noticeable grammatical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as 'Few people say that money can bring you happiness' (where 'few' changes the intended meaning to a negative) and 'depend on their monthly paycheck-to-paycheck by calculating their spending.' Punctuation is generally fine, but errors in grammar and collocation occasionally require the reader to re-read. This represents a clear Band 6.0 performance.

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

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