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)

It is important to allow children to make their own choices in everyday matters but with some restrictions and limitations.

It is very significant for children to make their own choices on everyday matters. It will build their personality and also allow them to think about what things they actually like and what they don't like. They will turn up to be decisive personalities later when they grow up because they used to make their own choices since the very beginning. And to be able to make decisions is such a great quality to have. You won't overthink over trivial matters, when you know how to make decisions and what you want.

However, allowing them to make their own choices, will not make them selfish or people who only care about themselves but still everything should be done with some limitations. By that I mean, not everything should be in the access of children.

Even, in entertainment their are things that children shouldn't be allowed to do or watch. They should be allowed to make their choices on the age appropriate things. The other decisions should be taken by their parents until they grow up.

The children who are making their own choices since childhood will grow up to be a more confident and strong people as compare to other children who weren't allowed to make their own choices. Therefore, parent should allow their children to make their own choices only where it is appropriate and this way it will only benefit their own children.

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. While you mention that allowing choices builds personality and confidence, the counter-argument regarding the risk of creating selfish individuals is addressed only briefly and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or elaborate on the potential negative consequences of excessive autonomy. The conclusion is clear, but the overall argument would benefit from more nuanced exploration of the 'selfishness' aspect mentioned in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Therefore', and 'By that I mean', which help the reader follow your argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and the transition between the two viewpoints could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, but some sentences feel slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph flows naturally into the next would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your ideas, such as 'decisive personalities', 'trivial matters', and 'age appropriate'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'turn up to be' instead of 'develop into' or 'become'. There is also a minor error in 'their are things' (should be 'there are'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to express your points with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you demonstrate an ability to use complex sentences, there are recurring grammatical errors, such as 'as compare to' (should be 'compared to') and 'parent should' (should be 'parents should'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are some minor errors in sentence construction. The majority of your sentences are clear, and the errors do not impede communication, but you need to focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent verb forms to achieve a higher score.

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

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