Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-28
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)
A certain group of people think that, to give freedom to the children about choosing things according to their taste is likely to result in selfishness because they taught to give importance to their own choice first. While others say that, making decisions about things according to thier choice is important because it improves their decision-making skill. I believe that children should be allow to make decisions on their own because it allows them to become more confident.
Some people argue that allowing pupils to make their own choice based decision is likely to result in individuals who gives priority to their own wishes first. To explain it, children are being taught to do things as per their wishes without considering others's opinion. It can be result in being selfish while making important decisions regarding to society. However, childen can be capable to understand things in their young age.To give an example, according to the survey of Oxford University, it is found that, children who taught to take desicions according to their taste, are likely to understad the importance of decisions according to all people's choice.
On the other hand, it is said that allowing students to take decisions about things can enhance their decision-making skills. To sustantiate it, children can learn decision-making skills from their early age and importance of decisions so they can feel confidence. Additionally, these skills and knowledge can results in a independet decision-making ability for the society in future. To quote an instance, according to the report of BBC news, successfull businessmen are taught to make decision independently from their early age, so they feel more confidence about making decisions.
To conclude, although allowing children to take decisions independently from an early age can result in selfishness, they can improve their decision-making skills and build confidence so later, they can become a successfull person in future.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that autonomy breeds selfishness and that decision-making skills are vital—while clearly stating the writer's own opinion that children should be allowed to make decisions to build confidence. A position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the ideas are somewhat repetitive and lack deeper extension, occasionally relying on generalisations rather than fully developed arguments. For instance, the discussion on societal selfishness and Oxford University surveys lacks specific supporting details, which places the response firmly within the Band 6 descriptor criteria for addressing the prompt adequately while leaving some areas under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay has a clear overall progression and is divided into logical paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'While others say', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' are used to structure the text, though some linking expressions like 'To sustantiate it' feel mechanical and awkward. Referencing is generally clear, but occasional clunky phrasing and repetitive transitional patterns mean the organization, while coherent overall, shows some limitations in flexibility and natural flow.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases such as 'independent decision-making ability', 'substantiate', and 'enhance their decision-making skills'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies and awkward word choices throughout the text, including 'give freedom to the children about choosing', 'gives priority to their own wishes first', and spelling errors like 'thier' and 'successfull'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Some people argue that allowing pupils to make their own choice based decision is likely to result in individuals who gives priority to their own wishes first.' However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors including subject-verb agreement issues ('children who taught', 'individuals who gives'), missing prepositions, and awkward passive constructions ('children should be allow'). These frequent errors can occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader, though the overall meaning remains clear.
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