Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-18

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)

There are 2 opinions discussed in the statement provided. First are the people having the perception that if you allow children to make their own daily life/routine decisions, it will result in a society where people think only about their wishes. While on the other hand, the 2nd opinion is that children should be given the authority to make the daily life decisions that will affect them.

There is some truth behind the 1st opinion. Routine choices such as food, clothing and entertainment show your personality and your perception to a great level. If children are given open choice to select, their entire world revolves around them. They spend a great deal of their time selecting for things about themselves and that is how they function in the long run as well. The thought that they grow up thinking only about their wishes would be true because they were doing that from the time when they were kids. They've been trained to do that during their primitive years so they grow up being independent and that involves thinking about their wishes and looking after themselves.

The 2nd opinion is that children should make their decisions that affect them. I agree with the 2nd opinion because with passing time and the era that we live in, if we do not give authority to children about their decision making, they will do so in ways that will have adverse effects on their personality and entire life. They will always be keeping things from you and may even distance themselves from you because they will see you as someone who did not allow them for their basic decisions. This will reflect badly on their personality as well as it will lead to dependence on people in the future as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding the first view is a bit repetitive, focusing heavily on the idea of 'wishes' without exploring the broader societal implications of self-centeredness. The second paragraph provides a justification for the author's opinion, but the reasoning—that children will 'distance themselves'—is a bit narrow. To reach a higher band, the response needs more depth in its supporting examples and a more nuanced exploration of the consequences of both parenting styles.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure. There is a clear introduction and two body paragraphs. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'There is some truth behind the 1st opinion' and 'The 2nd opinion is that' are used to transition, which is functional but lacks sophistication. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear; for example, in the second paragraph, the transition between 'independent' and 'thinking about their wishes' could be smoother to better connect the logical flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. The student relies on basic phrasing such as 'daily life/routine decisions' and 'great deal of their time'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural collocation, such as 'primitive years' (which usually refers to prehistoric times rather than childhood) and 'selecting for things'. To improve, the student should aim to use more academic collocations and precise terminology related to child development and social behavior.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'There are 2 opinions discussed' is slightly awkward, and 'allow them for their basic decisions' is grammatically incorrect. There are also issues with punctuation and sentence construction, such as the run-on nature of some sentences in the final paragraph. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score for grammatical accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.