Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-04
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)
Accessing children to make their personal opinions on daily life matters made them responsible and self-confident in a way that they can choose better for themselves in the future.
On the one hand some people strongly advocate that giving permission to children about every choise they want made the society selfish or unwanted.The strongly believe that parents should choose better and take the decisions about their everyday problems because parents can better tackle them all.They also think that it cause a detrimental effect on the society in which they are growing rapidly.
On the other hand some people deny it by simply saying that children should be able to make their on decisions on their own-behalf.It made them strong enough to deal with the critical situations may occur later.They think it's a positive change in children to decide about what they want or not.
Overall,i think that children should have the capability to make their own choices or decisions in their daily lifestyle at least.For instance when i was a child i decide about what i want to eat&drink.Moreover what i want to aquire for myself to wear and what to do in my free time.These things boosted my self-confidence and provide me a enhanced way to think about my things or myself.In every aspect of life it made me proud on my creation and helped me a lot to become myself self-reliance,so i can deal with every kind of issues by staying calm.I focus on the reasons of the problem instead of being stressed or heartless.Taking decisions in younger age made myself an attractive and well-known personality among people.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 superficial. For instance, the argument regarding children becoming 'selfish' is mentioned but not explored with sufficient depth or specific examples. Similarly, the benefits of autonomy are stated rather than fully explained. The response covers all parts of the prompt, but the supporting arguments lack the necessary detail to reach a higher band. The conclusion is personal and relevant, but the overall essay would benefit from more robust analysis of the societal implications mentioned in the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Moreover', but they are sometimes used mechanically or incorrectly (e.g., 'Accessing children' at the start). The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. While there is an overall logical arrangement, the lack of sophisticated linking and some awkward transitions prevent the essay from achieving a higher score in this criterion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward word choices or incorrect collocations, such as 'Accessing children' instead of 'Allowing children', 'choise' (spelling error), and 'aquire' (spelling error). The phrase 'proud on my creation' is also non-standard. While the meaning is generally clear, the limited range of vocabulary and the presence of spelling and collocation errors indicate a level that is sufficient for communication but lacks the flexibility and sophistication of a Band 7 or higher.
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 'made them responsible' (should be 'makes'), 'The strongly believe' (should be 'They'), 'it cause a detrimental effect' (should be 'it causes'), and 'my own-behalf'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around punctuation marks. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable and demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures, keeping the score in the 5.5 range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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