Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-16

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 6.0)

Nowadays children are given more freedom to make decisions about various aspects of their daily lives. Some people argue that allowing children to make their own choices can make them self-centered, while others think that children should be allowed to make decisions that affect them. This essay will discuss both views and explain why I believe that children should be given freedom to make their own decisions and choice.

On the one hand, allowing children to make own choices of anything leads to self-centered and selfish attitude. They will be thinking to satisfy their own needs and make sure that they are in comfortable situation or not. In addition, they won't take care about others and also, they can't understand others perspective. Moreover, children don't think how their decision is going to badly affect others. On top of that, if children are given the choice to make decisions sometimes, they will end up with choosing unhealthy food habits and make their lifestyle inappropriate. For instance, a child who is allowed to choose their own food and entertainment without parental guidance may regularly choose fast food and spent excessive time playing video games. Therefore, giving children unlimited freedom in decision making may negatively affect their behavior and development.

On the other hand, allowing children to make their own decision about matters that affect them can assist them to become more independent and responsible. When children are given the responsibility to choose their clothes, hobbies or extracurricular activities, they can understand their preferences, and own interests. Furthermore, making decisions allows them to learn from their own mistakes and gradually develop better decision-making skills. In addition to that, if children are given to make own choices, it will definitely help to be independent irrespective of their age and they will identify their own personality. Hence, it is important to give freedom to children to make their own decisions, which help children to identify their interests, preferences, and to be independent.

In conclusion, although giving children complete freedom to make their decision will leads to development of selfishness, self-centered behavior, and creates unhealthy lifestyle. I believe that children should be given freedom to make decision that will help them to be independent and choose their own interests and preferences.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both sides of the argument and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, particularly in the second body paragraph regarding independence. However, the first body paragraph relies on some over-generalizations, such as the claim that all children will inevitably choose unhealthy habits without guidance. To reach a higher band, the arguments could be more nuanced, perhaps by exploring the balance between parental guidance and autonomy rather than presenting the two as mutually exclusive. The position is consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'In addition,' 'Furthermore,' and 'Hence' are used effectively to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing viewpoints. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the slightly repetitive structure of the concluding sentence. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific language like 'extracurricular activities,' 'parental guidance,' and 'decision-making skills.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic words like 'choices,' 'decisions,' and 'freedom.' Some collocations are slightly awkward, such as 'make own choices of anything' or 'understand others perspective' (missing the possessive apostrophe). Expanding the range of synonyms and improving precision in word choice would elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the' is often missing) and subject-verb agreement, such as 'will leads to' and 'if children are given to make own choices.' Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in sentence boundaries, such as the sentence fragment in the conclusion starting with 'Although.' These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score.

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