Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-18

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)

In recent years, giving children the liberty to make their own choices on everyday matters has become increasingly important. Some people believe that giving children freedom produces a sense of selfishness among children, while others argue that it is important for children to become independent. This essay will discuss both views before explaining why I believe children should be encouraged to make everyday decisions.

On the one hand, there are quite a few abvious reasons why people discourage the idea of giving kids a free hand as it makes them selfish. By this I mean, when a child knows that he can do everything he wants as everybody would support him, he starts disrespecting other people's advice and tends to believe that he is always right. This sort of mentality can negatively influence them and for the most part, they even do not know what is beneficial or harmful for them, resultantly, they would be badly affected by their own decisions. For instance, a child whose all wishes are fulfilled, when they are prevented from making bad decisions, their egos hurt a lot and consequently they become rebellious.

On the other hand, granting children a freedom in their everyday matters can make them independent and sociable. They can get to know about their importance while selecting clothes, buying products of their own choice. This creates a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment in them. By this, not only do their confidence level boost but also broadens their horizons. By gaining experience themselves, they can better understand the situations.

In my opinion, although independence in decisions can make child rebel and impatient, I believe giving them the liberty to choose and decide things helps to become more confident. I believe allowing children to become independent with proper parental supervision is the best approach.

All things considered, the freedom of choice makes children independent and egoistic, while the benefits of the combination of the liberty with parental control outweigh its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the risk of children becoming self-centered versus the importance of fostering independence—and clearly states the writer's opinion. The introduction outlines the essay's structure well, and the body paragraphs present relevant arguments, such as the danger of rebellious behavior and the development of confidence through decision-making. The conclusion reiterates the personal stance effectively. However, some arguments in the first body paragraph are slightly repetitive and could be extended further with more precise real-world examples rather than generalisations. Overall, the ideas are sufficiently developed to meet the criteria for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7 for clear positioning, but limited by occasional under-development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs discussing opposing views, a personal opinion paragraph, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'In my opinion', and 'All things considered' are used to guide the reader through the structure. However, referencing and paragraph transitions are occasionally clunky; for instance, the phrase 'By this, not only do their confidence level boost...' contains agreement errors and awkward cohesive linking. Paragraphing is used appropriately overall, but internal cohesion within the body paragraphs occasionally feels mechanical, placing this criterion solidly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range suitable for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'liberty', 'accomplishment', 'horizons', and 'rebellious'. However, there are notable lexical errors and spelling mistakes that detract from the overall quality, such as 'abvious' instead of 'obvious' and 'confidence level boost' instead of 'boosts'. Collocations are sometimes awkward, such as 'granting children a freedom'. While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, the frequency of word-choice and spelling inaccuracies keeps the score at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses. There are instances of effective complex structures, such as 'when a child knows that he can do everything he wants as everybody would support him'. However, grammatical errors occur with some frequency, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement ('their confidence level boost' instead of 'boosts', 'make child rebel' instead of 'make children rebellious') and article usage ('granting children a freedom'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 7, making Band 6.0 the most accurate descriptor.

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