Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-15

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 6.0)

There is considerable debate about whether children should be allowed to make their own choices. Some people believe that allowing children to make their own choices on everyday matters such as food, clothes and entertainment is likely to lead individuals to become self centered and only think about their own wishes. Others argue that it is essential for children to make decisions about matters that affect them. Although excessive freedom may encourage undesirable behavior, i believe, it is important to allow children to make age appropriate choices to develop their decision making skills.

Children who are accustomed to making unrestricted choices may struggle to compromise and accommodate other people’s preferences. It is because children who are allowed to make every decision themselves may have fewer opportunities to learn how to accept limitations. For example, a child who is always allowed to choose television programs may become reluctant to let their siblings watch something different. If this kind of behavior is encouraged, children may start believing whatever they choose is acceptable. Therefore, it is necessary to guide children to make rational choices and respect other’s preferences at the same time.

Children who are encouraged to make choices with reasonable boundaries can develop good decision making skills. It is because they get the scope to explore the alternatives and opportunities to brainstorm about the consequences while making choices. For example, a child who is allowed to choose between doing homework first or playing first may learn that playing for too long leaves less time for homework. As a result, the child learns to manage time and make better decisions in the future. Therefore, choice making skills can play a role in developing problem solving abilities among the children.

In conclusion, children should learn to make choices within reasonable boundaries. Although excessive freedom may encourage selfish behaviour, allowing children to make appropriate decisions can help them develop decision-making and problem-solving skills and become more responsible.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both views and give a clear position: children should make choices within reasonable boundaries. The discussion of unrestricted choice is supported by the television example, while the homework-versus-play example explains how bounded choices can build time-management skills. This covers the task well and shows some development beyond simply listing opinions. However, the first view is framed mainly as a risk of selfishness, and the response could explain more fully why some people believe everyday choices foster self-centred behaviour. The second view could also be linked more explicitly to matters that directly affect children. Developing these points with a little more explanation would make the response more consistently complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion that restates your position. The examples are placed in relevant paragraphs, and signposts such as “For example,” “As a result,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical because several sentences use the same explanatory pattern, particularly “It is because” and “Therefore.” The link between the claim that unrestricted choices may limit compromise and the example about television could be made more explicit. Some references, such as “this kind of behavior,” are understandable but could identify the behaviour more precisely. Varying transitions and strengthening links between claims, explanations, and examples would improve progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “compromise,” “accommodate,” “reasonable boundaries,” “alternatives,” and “problem-solving abilities.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and the examples are easy to understand. There are, however, some imprecise or awkward expressions, such as “get the scope to explore” and “choice making skills,” which reduce naturalness. “Self centered” would be more appropriately written as “self-centred” or expressed as “self-centred behaviour”; “other’s preferences” also needs a more suitable plural form. Repeated use of “choices,” “decisions,” and “children” limits flexibility. Aim for more natural collocations and precise alternatives while retaining the clear, accessible vocabulary you already use.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including concessive clauses (“Although excessive freedom may encourage undesirable behavior”) and relative clauses (“a child who is allowed to choose…”). Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely obscure your meaning. Some grammatical and punctuation slips remain: “i believe” should be “I believe,” and the commas around it are unnecessary; “It is because children…” is an awkward sentence construction; and “respect other’s preferences” needs a grammatically appropriate plural possessive form. There are also inconsistent spaces around punctuation and within sentences. To improve control, revise sentence openings for naturalness, check possessives and capitalization, and proofread punctuation while continuing to use varied sentence forms.

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