Are Older People Being Left Behind by Technology?
A complete IELTS Academic Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 275 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
Some people argue that the rapid pace of technological change is unfairly excluding older people from everyday services such as banking, healthcare and shopping. Others believe that older people should simply learn to use new technology. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01Address both views fully before stating your own opinion — neither side should be a token paragraph
- 02Use concrete examples (bank branch closures, app-based appointments) to ground the argument
- 03State a balanced personal opinion that goes beyond simply choosing one side
- 04Use age and inclusion vocabulary precisely — 'digital divide', 'exclusion', 'accessibility'
- 05Avoid stereotyping — acknowledge that many older people use technology successfully
Model answer
275 words in 4 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
As governments and businesses move ever more services online, a debate has emerged about whether older citizens are being unfairly squeezed out, or whether the responsibility lies with them to adapt. While individual effort certainly matters, I believe institutions also have a duty to design services that do not effectively bar older users.
Those who argue for personal responsibility point out that technology is no longer optional and that learning has always been part of life. Many older people use smartphones, video-call grandchildren and shop online perfectly well, suggesting that age is not an insurmountable barrier. Public libraries, community centres and family members offer free training, and a society that has to slow down for every reluctant user will struggle to deliver the efficiency that digital services promise. From this perspective, refusing to learn is simply a choice.
However, framing the issue as a matter of choice overlooks structural reality. Many older citizens grew up in a different era, may have visual or cognitive difficulties, or live in regions with poor broadband, and not all of them have relatives nearby to help. When a bank closes its high-street branches, a hospital insists on app-based appointments or a supermarket removes its cash tills, it does not merely inconvenience these users — it cuts them off from essential services. The result can be financial loss, missed medical care and social isolation.
In my view, both sides hold part of the truth. Older people should be encouraged and supported to learn new tools, but institutions must continue to offer non-digital alternatives, large-text interfaces and human help. Inclusion is not a luxury but a basic test of a fair society.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
16 fewer than the median answer for this task type
10 words at the shortest, 34 at the longest
3 fewer than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 21.2 words and vary by 8.7 words either side of that, running from 10 words to 34. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 5 of the 13 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
3 in total, spread across 2 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
however, while
certainly
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 87 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 77 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 3 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Achievement
Discuss both views fully and provide a clear personal opinion with reasons
Coherence & Cohesion
Use a four-paragraph structure that gives both views comparable depth
Lexical Resource
Accurate vocabulary for technology, ageing, inclusion and public services
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use a range of complex structures including concessive clauses and conditionals with accuracy
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