Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-19

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)

We are living in 20th century, the alpha generation has already started and the leading youth is known as gen-z. In some regions, it is allowed for children to make there own decision on the basis of culture and lifestyle, but in some cases there are individuals which think about their own wishes.

On the one hand, it is important to give freedom for the children to make their own decisions in life, as it helps to get maturity and understanding the heritage better, when a child grows by taking their own risk at a very young age he get to know about himself and about the world. Example a child who is born and brought up in western culture have a freedom to make their own life decisions, whereas a Indian student who is same of his age do not have same opportunity and after growing up result shows western one is taking right choices but Indian one cannot.

On the other hand, it is important to have a eye on a teenager as, it may takes some bad turns in life which is not suitable for his own career such as doing crime, getting drugs and checking on his environment like his friends and schoolmates. In Some cultures there are strict restrictions based on their daily lifestyle and aspects but, some regions have a open freedom to make their own pathways which is unorthodox as their is no one to guide the child about his decisions.

In my opinion, a child should have a freedom to make their own choices, but there should always a parent or guardian to support his career and helps to take him on the correct pathway.

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 superficial. For example, the comparison between Western and Indian students is a broad generalization that lacks nuanced support. While the prompt asks for a discussion on everyday matters like food and clothes, the essay shifts quickly to broader life decisions and criminal behavior. To improve, you should focus on providing more specific, logical examples that directly relate to the prompt's scope. The conclusion is present but could be more effectively integrated with the preceding arguments to ensure a fully developed position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'Example a child' is grammatically incorrect and lacks a proper linking phrase. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the use of 'the western one' and 'the Indian one' to refer to students. While there is an overall coherent structure, the lack of sophisticated linking words and occasional awkward phrasing limits the flow of the argument. Improving the variety of transition signals would significantly enhance the readability.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good' or 'bad' (implied) and struggle with collocations. There are also some word-choice errors, such as 'it may takes some bad turns' and 'unorthodox' used in a context that does not quite fit. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more academic vocabulary and precise collocations. For example, instead of 'have a eye on', use 'monitor' or 'supervise'. Expanding your range to include more topic-specific terminology would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('he get to know', 'it may takes'), article usage ('a Indian student'), and punctuation errors. The sentence construction is often clunky, such as 'the leading youth is known as gen-z'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with verb tenses and pluralization, to ensure your writing is more polished.

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

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