Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-01

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)

Some people argue that permitting children to make their own choices on daily matters such as food, clothes and entertainment, can give rise to the society of the selfish individuals. While others argue that it is significant for children to make decisions about their personal matters. In my opinion, children should have freedom to make their own decisions about matters that affect them because it can enhance their confidence and make them independent.

On the one hand, some people think that it is important for children to make their own personal decisions because it can build confidence in them and make them independent. When children are allowed to decide about their routine matters, they can learn numerous essential skills such as decision-making skills and problem-solving skills. Additionally, these skills are very significant for their self development and independence, they can deal with various situations in their professional life. Furthermore, when children gets freedom to decide about their everyday matters such as food, clothes and entertainment, this can develop a confidence in them to make decisions about serious matters. Moreover, youngsters are still growing, thus when they handle basic issues on their own they make mistakes which reduces fear of making mistakes in them. Consequently, they become confident for the practical life. For instance, children who handle their daily matters on their own are more confident than children who are completely dependent on their parents. In my opinion, children should be allowed to make their own decisions for their self development.

On the other hand, some people argue that children should not make their daily decisions because it can cause lack of responsibility and for their safety issues. When children decide about everything on their own they can make wrong decisions, which can be harmful for their lives. However, children should be permitted to make their life decisions because these issues can be resolved by keeping an eye on children.

In conclusion, although allowing children to make decisions about their lives can be dangerous, yet this essay agrees that it make them confident and independent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The position is consistent throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument regarding 'confidence' and 'independence' is restated multiple times in the second paragraph without adding significant new depth. The counter-argument in the third paragraph is also quite brief and lacks specific examples or a more nuanced exploration of why some fear a 'society of selfish individuals'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to extend your arguments with more varied supporting evidence rather than repeating the same points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Additionally', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, particularly the reliance on 'In my opinion' and 'some people argue'. The flow between sentences is generally smooth, but the connection between the idea of 'safety' and the proposed solution of 'keeping an eye on children' in the third paragraph is a bit abrupt and could be better linked to the main argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'self development', 'decision-making skills', and 'practical life'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic phrases like 'everyday matters' and 'make decisions'. There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'give rise to the society of the selfish individuals' (should be 'a society of selfish individuals') and 'reduces fear of making mistakes in them'. Expanding your range of synonyms and collocations would improve the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'when children gets freedom' (subject-verb agreement error), 'it make them confident' (should be 'makes'), and 'the society of the selfish individuals' (article usage). Additionally, some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'it can cause lack of responsibility and for their safety issues'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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