Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-12
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, allowing children to make everyday choices independently has become a subject of discussion. One category of people look at the issue negatively, assuming that it will result in a selfish generation, while others put emphasis on the importance of making decisions individually on the matters affecting the children themselves. From my perspective, ability to make decisions independently help children to understand their needs and wishes better.
Admittedly, giving a child freedom of choice on a daily regards can sometimes have negative affects. When children experience independence from an early age, their way of thinking can develop differently. For instance, if a parent allows children to choose what to wear or to eat, it might give them excessive confidence and an idea of being mature enough to make other significant choices as well. That causes children to disregard parents' opinions and only stick with what they assume is the best for themselves. Consequently, parents begin to struggle with controling the children.
However, making small choices on a daily basis has a brighter side. Children who decide what to wear in school or what to have on breakfast may understand their preferences better. With little steps they start to realize what suits them the best and what is their taste. Later they understand themselves better and know how to make right choices according to their priorities in life. Subsequently, the children that were given freedom of choice in early years are more likely to choose right career and life path. Accordingly, giving a child right amount of independence to make their own choices everyday can have positive outcome.
In conclusion, even though children might experience feeling of early maturity because of their opportunities to make independent choices, it still can have positive outcome as they learn themselves better and understand the choice-making process better from early years.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
You discuss both views and make your position clear: you acknowledge that choice may encourage children to disregard parental opinions, but conclude that it helps them understand their preferences and make future decisions. The examples about choosing clothes and food are relevant, and the link to later career choices extends your argument. This meets the task well, while showing some of the development expected at a stronger level. However, the negative view is less fully explained: the claim that everyday freedom creates “excessive confidence” and leads to disregard for parents is asserted rather than supported with a clear explanation or example. Develop both sides more evenly, and clarify how everyday choices can foster consideration of others as well as personal independence.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0
The response has a clear, logical structure: the introduction presents the debate and your view, each body paragraph addresses one side, and the conclusion restates your position. Transitions such as “Admittedly,” “However,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument, while the progression from small choices to later life decisions is easy to understand. This is a strong overall organisation. To make the progression more consistently smooth, reduce formulaic linking and strengthen connections between claims. For example, “Consequently” introduces parental difficulty, but the preceding explanation could more clearly show why confidence leads to conflict. The conclusion also repeats the introduction’s main point rather than drawing together the two arguments. More precise referencing and a brief synthesis would add cohesion.
Lexical Resource: Band 6.0
You use an adequate range to discuss the topic, including phrases such as “freedom of choice,” “significant choices,” “preferences,” and “priorities in life.” These allow you to express both the risks and benefits, and the meaning remains clear. You also attempt more formal wording, for example “emphasis” and “independently,” though some choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural: “daily regards,” “on breakfast,” “choose right career,” and “learn themselves better.” There are also spelling errors such as “controling” and “affects” where “effects” is intended. These do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision. Aim to learn common word partnerships and check spelling and word forms during revision.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5
You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional and subordinate clauses: “if a parent allows children to choose…” and “even though children might experience…”. Most ideas are understandable, and the sentence structures support a clear discussion. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “ability … help” needs subject–verb agreement, while “a child right amount of independence” needs an article and a clearer grammatical structure. “What to have on breakfast” also has an incorrect preposition within the phrase. Review these patterns and check singular/plural agreement and articles. Greater accuracy across these structures, alongside your existing sentence variety, would make the argument more polished.
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