In some places, young people find it difficult to communicate with older people. Why is this? What are the solutions?
Sample Response
In many countries, there is a communication gaprift between the older and younger generations. This is a natural phenomenon and the solution is for both sides to compromise.
Older and younger people oftenThe old and young often cannot communicate well because of major differences in perspective. It is natural that older people will have a more mature outlook while younger people may be more radicalolder people will have a more mature outlook and younger people be more radical in their views. A good example of this can be found in Vietnam, whereA good example of this would be in Vietnam where the older generation holds very conservative, traditional views related to familial structures, careers, and social values that conflict with the more modern, progressive viewspositions of the younger generation. Young people have heard the traditional arguments for years and want to rebel, often out of naivety. Older people have the benefit of experience and feelexperience and and feel young people should follow their advice. This basic antagonism underlies poor communication between the generations.
The best solutions require compromiseall rely on compromise. Young people ought to accept that their lack of life experience puts them at a disadvantage in understanding the world. Many of their opinions are premature and will evolve over time. This implies that they should make greater efforts to understand the counsel of their elders. Their elders, in turn, must realise that their experiences are a limited sample drawn from a particular perioda small sample size from a unique time period. If, for example, they had to struggle to earn a living and raise a family, they must concede that this is only a single instancethey must concede this only a single instance that cannot be overgeneralisedsimplistically generalised. Moreover, times have changed and what was sound advice in the past may be largely irrelevantpast, may be largely irrelevant today.
In conclusion, the old and young are in different life stages and naturally have contrasting mindsets and the best solutions require self-reflective humility from both generationsa self-reflective modesty from both demographics. In this way, they will be able to learn more from each other.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response is strongest in its focused, insightful explanation of the generational divide and its well-developed proposal for mutual compromise. The main limitation is a small number of grammatical slips and slightly awkward abstractions that interrupt an otherwise polished argument. The highest-priority improvement is to proofread complex sentences carefully, correcting omitted words and refining imprecise expressions while preserving the essay’s strong analytical depth.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The cause and solutions are addressed directly, with a clear central argument and substantial explanation from both generational perspectives.
Support the proposed compromise with one concrete example of how a real conversation or decision could be handled differently.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument progresses logically from the cause to reciprocal solutions, and paragraphing and referencing are managed effectively.
Streamline the long concluding sentence so that the final synthesis lands with greater clarity and emphasis.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, flexible, and precise overall, with sophisticated terms used naturally to express nuanced ideas.
Refine occasional awkward abstractions such as experiences are a small sample size and self-reflective modesty.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are varied and well controlled, with only a few minor, non-impeding errors.
Proofread for small slips such as duplicated conjunctions, omitted linking verbs, and unnecessary commas.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
In some places, young people find it difficult to communicate with older people. Why is this? What are the solutions?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.