Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-06

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)

Giving children freedom to make choices for themselves is highly debated. Some people believe it fosters selfishness as they get habituated to only care about their personal likes and dislikes while others think that it makes them independent and confident about themselves. I think it is better to allow children to make choices about smaller things and guardians should guide them when necessary.

One might argue that, when children make every decisions by themselves, they may not try to look at things from different perspectives. It can limit the thinking ability of an individual. As this behavior continues further, individuals may begin to put themselves before anyone. This can make it very difficult for them to compromise, which is a very important character when living in a society. For example, a girl playing loud music on her birthday party during nighttime can disturb the neighbors. If the girl does not think about others before making such decision, she may be forced to evacuate the place. Such behaviors can be seen in people who are selfish in nature.

On the other hand, children can build a habit of decision making and critical thinking when they are allowed to choose for things that they like since a young age. In this way, making decisions can come naturally to them. Since the modern world has wide range of options in everything, building such habits can be very helpful in their adulthood. This helps them to understand themselves better and trust their own judgement. For example, choosing a career can be a very difficult decision. But when a person has good knowledge about their area of interest, it can be comparatively easier to him. So, this freedom helps people in their future.

In my opinion, young people should definitely be taught to have their own opinions. In this way, individuality is developed. However, they may not be able to take good decisions everytime because of their young age. Thus, they should also be taught about the importance of seeking help from others when necessary. This can help to prevent hyper-independence which can be fatal for social beings like humans.

In conclusion, although taking self decisions since very young age can be helpful to shape the individual, making sure that they seek help and guidance in case of confusions is equally necessary. In this way, children can develop empathy for others while having high self-esteem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that independent decision-making leads to selfishness and that it builds important life skills—and provides a clear personal position throughout. The main ideas are generally relevant, but some are slightly under-developed or rely on extreme examples, such as the birthday party scenario about being forced to evacuate a place. The response satisfies the requirements of the lower band fully by addressing the prompt, while the inclusion of a clear stance and reasoned arguments points towards the next band level, even though the depth of support for each viewpoint could be more thoroughly extended.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas across paragraphs. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, starting with the introduction of views, moving to the arguments against and for independence, and concluding with a balanced personal opinion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In my opinion', but referencing and linking can occasionally feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct aspects of the prompt, fulfilling the lower band requirements while showing partial strengths of the next band through logical structuring.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly regarding child-rearing and independence. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'habituated', 'hyper-independence', and 'individuality', though there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'choose for things' instead of 'choose things' or 'every decisions' instead of 'every decision'. Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication, placing the response squarely within the expected range with glimpses of broader lexical ambition.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over standard structures such as conditional and concessive clauses, as seen in 'Although taking self decisions since very young age can be helpful'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including article omission, prepositions within patterns, and minor word form issues like 'everytime' written as one word. However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, meeting the criteria for the current band while incorporating enough variety in sentence structures to show potential for higher levels.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.