Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-11-13

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that allowing children to make their own choices on everyday matters (such as food, clothes and entertainment) is likely to result in a society of individuals who only think about their own wishes. Other people believe that it is important for children to make decisions about matters that affect them.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In recent years, allowing children to makeown decision has become a subject of considerable discussion. While some people believe that giving too much freedom could encourage selfish behaviour, others argue that making personal decision is essential for their development. In my opinion, children should be allowed to make everyday decision because this helps them to develop independence and responsibility.

One of the main reasons why some people oppose allowing children to make their own decisions is it may encourage selfish behaviour. This is because when children are allowed to make everyday decisions from a young age, it could lead to them only thinking of their own without considering others. For example, a child who prefer watching scary might not be aware how that could be scary for others and might be unwilling to change if they are always deciding. As a result, these children may struggle to cooperate with others and develop healthy relationships later in life.

On the other hand, allowing children to make their own decisions can help them develop independence and responsibilities. This is because when children make their own decision, they learn to think for themselves and understand that their different outcome. For instance, allowing children to choose what they eat for breakfast and lunch can teach them to make healthier food choices, especially when their parents provide guidance. As a result,children may become more responsible for their decisions and develop healthy eating habits as they grow older.

In conclusion, although allowing children to make everyday decisions could encourage selfish behaviour, i believe that with parents guidance they can learn to be responsible and more confident .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and state a clear opinion: children should make everyday choices because this can build independence and responsibility. The opposing concern is also relevant, and the example of a child choosing frightening entertainment helps illustrate how personal preferences might affect others. Your breakfast and lunch example supports the benefits of choice, especially when parents guide children. This meets the task well, but the discussion is not equally developed: the first example is somewhat unclear, and the explanation of how children learn that choices have consequences needs to be made explicit. To strengthen the response further, explain how parental boundaries can prevent self-centred behaviour and develop each example with a clearer link to the question.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. The progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help distinguish the stages of the argument. Within the body paragraphs, you generally move from a claim to an explanation, an example, and a result. Some links are less smooth or precise, however. For example, “This is because when children make their own decision, they learn to think for themselves and understand that their different outcome” does not clearly connect the idea to the example that follows. Improve cohesion by making references explicit and ensuring each sentence develops the preceding point rather than relying mainly on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “selfish behaviour,” “independence,” “responsibility,” “cooperate,” and “healthy relationships.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and phrases such as “make healthier food choices” are appropriate to the discussion. However, word choice and word forms are sometimes inaccurate or incomplete, which limits precision: “makeown decision,” “personal decision,” and “their different outcome” are examples. The description “watching scary” is also unclear because the noun being watched is missing. Some key terms, especially “decision” and “children,” are repeated often. Build a more reliable range by checking collocations and using alternatives such as “choices,” “preferences,” and “consequences” where they fit naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses beginning “While,” “when,” and “although,” and most of the argument remains understandable. Some grammatical errors nevertheless affect clarity. In “a child who prefer,” the verb does not agree with its subject; “it may encourage selfish behaviour is it may…” also needs a grammatical link between the clauses. The phrase “understand that their different outcome” is incomplete, and the conclusion has errors in “i” and “parents guidance.” There are also punctuation and spacing slips, such as “As a result,children” and the extra space before the final full stop. Review agreement, complete clause structure, possessives, and sentence punctuation while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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