Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-30

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)

In recent years, there are multiple ways to be satisfied in life such as money and other factors. It is often argued that most of the happiness is coming from money while others believe that money is not the only source of happiness, there are certain other elements which can contribute to make individuals life happy. This essay will demonstrates the main reasons followed by relevant examples.

The one of the main reasons why people think money is the only way to live happy because nowadays, money becomes significant part of our life and we cannot imagine a life without it. With money, people can fulfill their desires. For instance, if an individual wants to drive a lamborghini, they need to have a suffiicient amount of money to purchase the car. Consequently, money plays a vital role to gain happiness from materialistic things.

On the other hand, there are numerous other factors which lead to make human life happy such as spending a quality time with loved ones, or enjoying a favourite meal. These kind of happiness doesn't have the monetary value. To illustrate, enjoying the favourite cousine in the restaurant and watching a movie or spending a time with loved ones . As a result, an individual can get the real happiness which cannot be measured in terms of money.

To conclude, people cannot live without money as large proportion of people needs depend on money and cannot be replaced with anything else. However, a person can enjoy the real happiness by devoting some time to the things which makes them happy.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question: money can provide material goods, illustrated by buying a Lamborghini, while relationships and enjoyable experiences can also bring happiness. Your conclusion reinforces the view that money matters but is not the only source of happiness. These ideas are relevant, though they are not developed equally: the financial point is explained mainly through one purchase, and the non-financial examples are listed rather than explored. The response would be stronger with a clearer explanation of how financial security can reduce stress or improve quality of life, alongside a specific example showing why time with loved ones creates lasting happiness. This would make your reasoning more fully supported and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for money and other sources of happiness, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “On the other hand” and “To conclude” help signal the direction of the argument, and the reader can follow the main points. This meets the lower-band expectations well and shows some features of stronger progression. However, connections within paragraphs are sometimes mechanical, and the example in the third paragraph is presented as a fragment rather than a complete supporting sentence. The introduction also promises “main reasons” without clearly setting out the essay’s two-part structure. Use more precise links between each claim and its explanation, and ensure examples are integrated into complete sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “significant part,” “fulfill their desires,” “materialistic things,” and “monetary value.” These choices allow you to discuss both financial and personal sources of happiness, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as “suffiicient amount” and “favourite cousine,” but spelling errors and unnatural combinations reduce accuracy. Phrases such as “the main way to live happy” and “lead to make human life happy” are understandable but not idiomatic. Aim for natural collocations and accurate word forms—for example, “live happily,” “contribute to a happy life,” and “cuisine.” This would make your expression more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional example beginning “if an individual wants” and a contrast introduced by “while.” The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors occur across the response. For example, “This essay will demonstrates” has an incorrect verb form, while “These kind of happiness doesn't” has a number-agreement problem. The opening sentence also joins two independent ideas with a comma, and the example beginning “To illustrate” is not a complete sentence. Articles and sentence patterns need attention as well, as in “a significant part of our life.” Practise checking subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, while continuing to use varied structures.

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

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