Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-14

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 modern societies, there is an ongoing debate on whether juveniles and teenagers should have the freedom to make their decisions about their daily life matters. Some people think that it will make them selfish, while others argue that it will improve their decision making abilities. In this essay, I will discuss both sides before presenting my opinion in favor of the latter statement.

On one hand, people say that children and the young individuals should be allowed to make decisions about their routine activities, such as choice of food, outfits, and entertainment. It enables them to learn about importance of decisions and their possible pros and cons. For instance, if they decide to wear thin layered clothes in winter, let them do it. They will learn from their experience and will not repeat the same mistake in their future. In addition, it will improve their decision making abilities and they will not seek validation from others in their adulthood.

On the other hand, others believe that children and teenagers should not have the freedom to live on their choices because it will make them reluctant to understand the feelings of others. As a result, they will lack empathy, may hurt emotions of other individuals and become problematic for the society. Moreover, they may also harm themselves, as the young individuals are not mature enough to understand what choices are right for them.

In my opinion, juveniles and the young generation should have the freedom to make decisions under the supervision of parents or mentors. For example, parents should give them limited options for food or clothes and allow them to select one according to their wish. Consequently, they will feel valued and become self-reliant as well as confident.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both viewpoints and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and logically extended, such as the example of children learning from the consequences of their clothing choices. However, the development of the second viewpoint regarding the potential for selfishness is slightly less detailed than the first. The position is consistent throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, ensure that the arguments for both sides are balanced in terms of depth and supporting evidence, as the current structure slightly favors the first perspective in terms of explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'In addition', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall flow of the argument. The referencing is generally clear, though the transition between the second body paragraph and the conclusion could be slightly more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows for some precision. You use terms like 'juveniles', 'self-reliant', and 'validation' appropriately. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful. However, there are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'live on their choices' (better: 'live according to their own choices') and 'hurt emotions of other individuals' (better: 'hurt the feelings of others'). The range is adequate, but more idiomatic expressions or precise collocations would elevate the score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and error-free, which ensures that communication is never impeded. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'make their decisions' (should be 'make decisions') and 'the importance of decisions' (missing 'the' before 'importance'). While you use complex structures, the variety could be broader to demonstrate higher control. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present are non-systematic and do not interfere with the reader's understanding of your arguments.

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