Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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, a freedom of choice makes children independent and egoistic, I believe that the benefits of the combination of the liberty with the parental control outweigh its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on children's decision-making and presenting a clear personal opinion. The writer establishes a position in the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported, such as the explanation of how unrestricted choices can lead to rebellion or how decision-making fosters independence. However, some arguments tend to over-generalise slightly, particularly regarding the inevitable psychological impacts on children. Overall, the task is well-handled and the core requirements are fully met, reflecting a solid Band 7 performance for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are generally well structured with a clear introduction, body paragraphs addressing each viewpoint, a reasoned personal stance, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently' are used to connect ideas, though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as starting multiple sentences with 'By this I mean' or 'By this'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments and viewpoints. Overall, cohesion is managed effectively enough to meet the criteria for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, sitting comfortably at Band 6.5 due to minor mechanical linking.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'liberty', 'rebellious', 'accomplishment', and 'proper parental supervision'. However, there are notable word choice and spelling errors, such as 'abvious' instead of obvious, and awkward phrasing like 'granting children a freedom' or 'their confidence level boost'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7. The vocabulary is minimally flexible and sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures ('when a child knows that he can do everything...') and relative clauses. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as article omissions ('granting children a freedom'), subject-verb agreement issues ('when they are prevented... their egos hurt'), and preposition slips. Despite these frequent minor errors, the meaning remains comprehensible and communication is rarely impeded. The control over punctuation and syntax aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

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