Society · Problem and solution · Band 7.5
Why Elderly People Feel Isolated
The question, a model answer written to the band 7.5 descriptors, why it scores that band against the 4 official criteria, topic vocabulary, and a common mistake to avoid.
Problem and solution
In many societies, elderly people increasingly live alone and experience social isolation. What are the causes of this problem and what measures could be taken to address it? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Model answer (band 7.5)
Written to the band 7.5 descriptors, not by a real examiner. Read it for structure and language, then write your own in your own words. Examiners can tell a memorised essay from an original one.
Social isolation among elderly people has become increasingly common in many societies, and the causes lie less in individual circumstances than in broader shifts in how families and communities are now organised.
A primary cause is the geographic dispersion of modern families. Adult children frequently relocate to different cities or countries for education and career opportunities, leaving elderly parents behind in communities that may no longer contain many of their own generation either, since those peers have often moved away, moved into care facilities, or passed away. A second cause is the decline of the traditional multigenerational household, where elderly relatives once lived alongside younger family members as a matter of course; this arrangement has become far less common as smaller, nuclear households become the social norm in most developed economies.
Addressing geographic dispersion requires better-funded community infrastructure, such as local day centres and organised social activities specifically designed for elderly residents, which can provide regular social contact even where family members live far away and cannot visit often. Technology also has a meaningful role: simple video-calling tools, when elderly people receive adequate support to use them confidently, can meaningfully bridge physical distance, though this requires dedicated training programmes rather than assuming older users will adopt new devices unaided. For the decline in multigenerational living, policies that make it more financially realistic for families to build or adapt homes for shared, multigenerational living, such as tax incentives, could gently reverse the trend without forcing a lifestyle choice on anyone.
In conclusion, elderly isolation stems mainly from family dispersion and the decline of shared living arrangements, and addressing it requires investment in community infrastructure alongside genuine support for multigenerational housing options.
Why this answer scores band 7.5
Mapped to the 4 official IELTS Writing criteria.
- Task Response: two distinct, well-explained causes are each matched with a specific, realistic solution rather than a single catch-all recommendation.
- Coherence and Cohesion: clear cause-solution pairing with explicit sequencing ('A second cause', 'For the decline in...') guiding the reader through the logic.
- Lexical Resource: precise sociological vocabulary ('geographic dispersion', 'nuclear household', 'multigenerational living') used accurately throughout.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: long, well-controlled sentences with multiple subordinate clauses demonstrate sustained grammatical range.
Useful vocabulary & collocations
Phrases used in the model answer that lift Lexical Resource naturally.
Common mistake on this type of question
Write your own answer and get it scored
IELTS9's AI examiner scores your own essay against the same 4 criteria shown above, Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy, with corrections and an improved version.
Score my essay →