Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Some people argue that when giving children the opportunity to make their own decisions about everyday choices (like food or clothes) the society becomes more selfish. Other people think that it is important for children to make their own decisions in everyday matters. I argue that children need to make their own decisions in order to have a good development and become independent of their parents.

In my opinion, the development of a children is based on learnings from situations in real life. The reason for that is that children who make their own choices on everyday matters have to live with the consequences, no matter what they are. Due to that the learning curve and improvement is high, because it is rational that children don't want to live with consequences which affect them in a bad way. For example, a young boy who eats bad quality food and gets ill, because of the bad quality. As a consequence the children won't eat that food again and there is a learning curve and a development.

I think that the children who make their own decisions on everyday matters are more independent from their parents, because they can make decisions on food, clothes or entertainment on their own and don't need their parent to make that decision for them. For instance, a young boy who makes the choice on his clothes alone isn't dependent on his mother to make that choice for him. As a consequence the children is, because of their independence, more prepared for the adult life. Furthermore the mother has more free time, because she doesn't have to make decisions for her son.

All in all, in my opinion allowing children to make their own everyday decisions improves their development through feedback loops and their independence which has positive consequences on his future adult life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you support children making everyday choices, and you give relevant reasons about learning from consequences and becoming independent. However, the task asks you to discuss both views, and the concern that children may become self-centred is only mentioned in the introduction; it is not explained or weighed against your opinion. The supporting ideas are also quite narrow: the food example illustrates learning, while the clothing example mainly repeats the independence point. To strengthen the response, explain why some people fear unrestricted choice could encourage selfishness, then qualify your view—for example, children can choose within reasonable limits. This would make the discussion more complete and develop your argument further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The ideas generally follow a sensible order, and linking expressions such as “For example,” “As a consequence” and “Furthermore” help show relationships. However, the progression is limited because both body paragraphs support your own position, while the opposing view is not developed. Some links are repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “As a consequence,” and references such as “the children” and “their” are not always clear or consistent. Organise the body around the two views, and use a wider range of precise transitions and referencing. This would make the argument easier to follow without relying on repeated linkers.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your main points, including “everyday matters,” “consequences,” “independent” and “adult life.” Some phrases, such as “learning curve,” show an attempt to express ideas beyond basic vocabulary. However, the range is limited and several choices sound unnatural or imprecise: “the society becomes more selfish,” “a good development,” and “the development of a children” do not express the intended ideas naturally. “Bad quality food” is also less precise than a phrase describing unhealthy food. Repeated use of “decisions,” “children” and “consequences” further limits variety. Work on natural collocations and use more precise terms when explaining the possible effects of choice and responsibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple sentences and longer structures, including clauses with “because,” “who” and “which.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but errors recur in agreement, articles and sentence construction. For example, “the development of a children” has an incorrect article and plural form, while “the children is” has subject–verb disagreement. In “the children won't eat that food again and there is a learning curve,” the connection between the ideas is awkwardly constructed. There is also an incomplete opening construction: “when giving children the opportunity … the society becomes more selfish.” Practise checking each sentence for a clear subject and matching verb, and revise article and singular/plural choices. More accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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