Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-28

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)

In recent years the topic about children to make their own has become a widely discussed issue. While are different view regarding this matter, from my perspective it is essential for children to make decisions about any kind of problems and its enhance children decision making skills.

The first and the most important point to consider is that making any plan on special event or occasion is very effective for their daily decision making skill. The main reason for this is that if children guardian or parents tell everything about their daily routine like food , clothes and entertainment they just kill their inner decision making skills. For example, i any child cannot decide their own wishes and depend on other to decide their daily basis routine work in future it is tough for him to make decision on life goals and instant incidents. Therefore, it is clear that think in their childhood is really effective for further progress.

Furthermore, some people think always making their own choices is make individual selfish. Giving children too much freedom may make them overly focused on personal desire. For example, a child who allow to choose only expensive stuff is not really satisfy with their wishes and become less willing to share and compromise. Thus it is not effective that children make their choices every time.

In conclusion, deciding specific thing by their own for children has positive and negative effect. I believe their are some measures that parents perform for children that not make them selfish and also make decision by their own.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

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 selfishness is introduced but lacks a nuanced explanation of how to balance autonomy with guidance. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the points made. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your examples and ensure that the link between your arguments and the prompt is more explicit. The ideas are relevant, but the depth of analysis is currently at a basic level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'The first and the most important point', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Thus it is not effective that children make their choices every time'. Additionally, some sentences lack smooth transitions, making the flow feel a bit disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence will help improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'topic about children to make their own' and 'deciding specific thing by their own'. You rely on simple, repetitive language like 'make decision' and 'effective'. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to child development and autonomy. The errors in word choice do not impede communication, but they do limit the overall impact of your arguments.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'While are different view' (missing subject), 'its enhance children decision making skills' (incorrect verb form), and 'a child who allow to choose' (passive voice error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and consistent tense usage would be highly beneficial.

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.