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Cambridge 19 Writing Task 2 Test 3 - Sample Answers (Band 9 to 4-5)
Real band 9, 8, 7 and 6.5 sample answers for this prompt, plus a genuine band 4-5 answer so you can see exactly what pulls a score down. Every sample comes with examiner-style notes on Task Response, Coherence & Cohesion, Lexical Resource and Grammatical Range & Accuracy.
The Prompt
Saving Money for the Future
It is important for everyone, including young people, to save money for their future.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
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285 wordsExplains the specific mechanism of compound interest rather than only asserting that saving early is a good idea.
Financial security is a concern that affects people at every stage of life, and I strongly agree that saving money from a young age, rather than waiting until later in life, is genuinely important for one's long-term financial wellbeing.
The most compelling argument for early saving is the power of compound interest, whereby money saved and invested early has considerably more time to grow than money saved later. A young person who begins saving a modest amount in their twenties can, over several decades, accumulate substantially more wealth than someone who starts saving twice as much but a decade or two later, simply because their money has had far longer to compound. This mathematical reality alone makes early saving genuinely advantageous, regardless of income level.
Beyond this financial argument, developing the habit of saving early also builds valuable long-term financial discipline that tends to persist throughout a person's life, helping them navigate unexpected expenses, economic downturns, or periods of unemployment without falling into damaging debt.
That said, I recognise this can be genuinely difficult for many young people, particularly those with low starting salaries, high student debt, or expensive housing costs, who may reasonably feel they have little disposable income left over for saving after covering essential living expenses. In such cases, even very small, consistent contributions, however modest, are still valuable given how significantly time itself can amplify the eventual result of saving early rather than later.
In conclusion, I strongly agree that saving from a young age is important, both for the powerful mathematical advantage of compound growth over time and for the financial discipline it instils, even though I recognise this can be genuinely challenging for young people facing significant financial pressures.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Fully addresses the extent question with a clear position, a well-explained mechanism (compound interest), and a genuine, realistic acknowledgement of the challenges young people face.
Coherence & Cohesion: Ideas progress logically from the main argument to a secondary benefit to a limiting counterpoint, with cohesive devices ("beyond this", "that said") managing each shift smoothly.
Lexical Resource: Wide range of precise vocabulary ("compound", "instils", "disposable income") used with natural collocation throughout.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Wide range of complex structures, including relative clauses, used with full accuracy.
Band 8
254 wordsClearly argued with a relevant mechanism, just slightly less precisely explained than a band 9 answer.
Financial security matters at every stage of life, and I strongly agree that saving money from a young age, rather than waiting until later, is important for long-term financial wellbeing.
The main argument for saving early is the power of compound interest, where money saved early has more time to grow than money saved later. A young person who starts saving a small amount in their twenties can end up with much more money after several decades than someone who starts saving more but later, simply because their money has had longer to grow. This makes early saving genuinely advantageous, regardless of income.
Beyond this, developing the habit of saving early also builds financial discipline that tends to last throughout a person's life, helping them deal with unexpected expenses or periods without income without falling into debt.
However, I recognise this can be difficult for many young people, especially those with low salaries, student debt, or high housing costs, who may feel they have little money left to save after paying for essentials. Even small, regular savings are still valuable, though, given how much time can increase the eventual result.
In conclusion, I strongly agree that saving from a young age is important, both because of compound growth over time and the financial discipline it builds, though I understand this can be difficult for young people facing financial pressure. Schools could also help by teaching basic financial literacy earlier, so that young people understand these benefits well before they start earning their own income.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Fully addresses the extent question with a clear position and relevant reasoning, though the mechanism is explained slightly less precisely than in the band 9 answer.
Coherence & Cohesion: Clear five-paragraph structure with accurate cohesive devices throughout.
Lexical Resource: Good range of vocabulary, though "genuinely advantageous" is repeated less precisely than the higher-band answer's varied phrasing.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Mostly accurate complex sentences with only rare minor slips.
Band 7
255 wordsA clear, well-reasoned position that would be stronger with the compound interest mechanism explained further.
Saving money is important at every stage of life, and I strongly agree that young people should start saving money early, not just wait until later.
One reason for this is compound interest, which means money saved early has more time to grow. A young person who saves a small amount can end up with more money after many years than someone who saves more but starts later, because their money has had longer to grow.
Saving early also helps people build good financial habits, which can help them deal with unexpected costs or job loss in the future without needing to borrow money.
However, this can be hard for some young people, especially those with low salaries or a lot of student debt, who may not have much extra money to save.
In conclusion, I agree that young people should save money early, because of the benefits of compound interest and building good habits, even though it can be difficult for some people. Schools could also play an important role in this by teaching basic financial skills, such as budgeting and saving, before students leave school and start earning money for the first time. If more young people understood these ideas early, they might be more likely to start saving even small amounts as soon as they begin working, rather than waiting until later in life when they may have already developed habits that are harder to change. Parents can also encourage this behaviour at home by giving children a small allowance to manage.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Addresses the extent question with a clear position and relevant reasoning, but the compound interest mechanism is not developed in as much depth as in the higher-band answers.
Coherence & Cohesion: Organised logically with the main argument, a secondary benefit, and a limitation in separate paragraphs; cohesive devices ("However", "In conclusion") are accurate but predictable.
Lexical Resource: Adequate range for the task, with some repetition of "save" and "money" throughout.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Generally accurate mix of simple and complex sentences; meaning is always clear.
Band 6.5
255 wordsThe position and reasoning are both clear, but agreement errors appear in almost every sentence.
Saving money is important at every stage of life, and I strongly agree that young people should start saving money early, not just wait until later.
One reason for this is compound interest, which mean money save early has more time to grow. A young person who save a small amount can end up with more money after many year than someone who save more but start later, because their money have had longer to grow.
Saving early also help people build good financial habit, which can help them deal with unexpected cost or job loss in the future without needing to borrow money.
However, this can be hard for some young people, especially those with low salary or a lot of student debt, who may not have much extra money to save.
In conclusion, I agree that young people should save money early, because of the benefit of compound interest and building good habit, even though it can be difficult for some people. School could also play an important role in this by teaching basic financial skill, such as budgeting and saving, before student leave school and start earning money for the first time. If more young people understood this idea early, they might be more likely to start saving even small amount as soon as they begin working, rather than waiting until later in life when they may have already develop habit that is harder to change. Parent can also encourage this behaviour at home by giving children a small allowance to manage.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Addresses the extent question with a clear position, matching the content of the band 7 answer, but grammar errors throughout reduce clarity.
Coherence & Cohesion: Follows the same five-part structure as the higher-band answers.
Lexical Resource: Limited by missing plurals on key task words ("year", "habit", "cost") used throughout instead of their plural forms.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent subject-verb agreement errors ("money save early", "a young person who save", "money have had longer") appear on nearly every sentence.
Band 4-5 - What to Avoid
25 wordsStates a general view but never develops it or engages with the "to what extent" question, and stays well under the required length.
I think saving money is good.
Young people should save too, this is important.
I try to save, this is my opinion about this topic.
Examiner Notes
Task Response: Gives only a single unsupported sentence, with no explanation of why saving matters and no engagement with the extent question. At well under 250 words, the response is also underlength.
Coherence & Cohesion: Reads as short, disconnected statements with minimal linking.
Lexical Resource: Vocabulary is basic and repetitive ("good", "important", "try") with little variation.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy: Frequent errors throughout ("young people should save too", "I try to save").
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