Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-26

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)

Allowing kids to make decisionns is a controversial topic. Some people believe that it is important for parents to let their children chose their food or clothes daily. While others think that giving them that freedom at a young age will result in a society of selfish individuals.

One argument says that letting children make their own choices is a bad parenting method. Allowing kids to decide whatever is, in fact, spoiling them. If a kid gets what he/she wants everytime he/she wouldn't accept no as an answer for what he/she asked for. And that what makes a spoiled and selfish individual who only cares about his/her own wishes and needs. For instance, if a 7 year-old boy, who gets to decide where to go everytime for entertainment, wanted to go to disney-land he will throw a tantrum when he gets to know that his parents can't afford that. In fact, Such a person could never be a friend or a good partner because all that matters to them is fulfilling their needs.

However, some people would argue that parents have to let their kids make small everyday choices to enhance their independance. As a matter of fact, giving children the chance to decide what to wear or chose between three options for lunch trains them for real life. For exemple, when their parents used to make all the decisions for them, young adults find themselves lost as soon as they become obliged to chose on their own. In addition, it wouldn't hurt when we give our kids permission to make decisions about matters that affect them because that will instil in them a sense of responsibility from a young age.

In my opinion, parents have to allow their kids to make some decisions without spoiling them too much so they end up as responsible individuals.

In a nutshell, when allowed to make their choices kids won't become selfish if parents don't spoil them rotten. Instead they will grow up to be responsible independant adults.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views regarding children making everyday decisions and providing a clear personal opinion. The student explores the potential negative outcome of selfishness, as well as the positive aspects of fostering independence and responsibility. Ideas are generally well-supported with examples, such as the mention of a 7-year-old boy wanting to go to Disneyland or making choices about what to wear and eat for lunch. However, the development in some parts tends to be a bit repetitive or slightly simplistic, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors where all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, though some areas could be extended further or nuanced more deeply.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as the arguments against freedom, the arguments in favor, and the personal stance. Cohesive devices are employed, including transition markers like 'One argument says', 'However', 'As a matter of fact', and 'In a nutshell'. However, some cohesive ties are mechanical or faulty, such as 'And that what makes a spoiled individual' starting a sentence with a conjunction, and referencing can occasionally be slightly unclear. These features are characteristic of Band 6 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrases such as 'controversial topic', 'spoiling them rotten', 'instil in them a sense of responsibility', and 'independent adults'. However, there are notable spelling errors throughout the response, including 'decisionns', 'chose' (used instead of choose), 'everytime', and 'Exemple'. Word choice inaccuracies also appear, such as 'when their parents used to make all the decisions for them, young adults find themselves lost' where tense consistency is affected. Because these errors do not impede communication but occur with some frequency, the performance fits the Band 6 level.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures ('If a kid gets what he/she wants everyday he/she wouldn't accept no') and relative clauses. There are, however, several grammatical errors and punctuation slips present, such as comma splices and minor agreement or tense issues ('when their parents used to make... young adults find'). Additionally, fragment structures or awkward phrasings appear, such as 'And that what makes a spoiled and selfish individual'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments easily. This profile aligns closely with the Band 6 descriptors.

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