Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-19

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)

Some people argue that giving freedom to children to make their own decision in daily activities such as eating, clothing and entertainment will end up with selfishness whereas others believe that giving them freehand in decision making builds them as responsible and independent. I would support the second view, with reasonable parental guidance. Children should be allowed to make age-appropriate decisions, while parents should set boundaries for matters involving health, safety and discipline.

People who argue with this statement that children making decision for themselves. The first reason could be they are not able to make sensible decision because they lack maturity. Somehow it is true that teenagers mostly do not understand the consequences when choosing something. Another possible reason is they may prefer entertainment and junk food over studies and healthy meals. For instance, a child who can choose anything to eat may repeatedly select fast food instead of nutritious meals. Lastly, they might become more demanding if their parents always fulfill their desires. This makes them more irritating and stubborn.

Conversely, individuals who support children's choices believe that it develops their sense of independence and boosts confident. Moreover, they also begin to accept the consequences of their own judgement. A clear example of this is self experience , when a child realizes the results of his action then another time he becomes more of doing that thing again. Additionally, it helps them to understand their preference and develops their problem solving skills. For instance, allowing a child to choose extracurricular activities can help them discover their interests and develop self-confidence.

In conclusion, although allowing children to make their own choices without restrictions may encourage selfish behavior, I believe that giving them the freedom to make age-appropriate decisions is essential for developing independence and a sense of responsibility. However, parents should provide proper guidance to ensure that children make sensible decisions

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a clear position: you support children making age-appropriate choices with parental guidance. The discussion includes relevant reasons, such as children’s limited maturity and the benefits of independence, and the examples about food and extracurricular activities help illustrate these points. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the concerns about selfishness are listed, but the link between everyday choices and becoming self-centred could be explained more fully. The example described as “self experience” is also unclear and does not convincingly show how children learn from consequences. To strengthen the response, explain each main reason in more depth and use a specific, clearly connected example for the benefits of decision-making.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the opposing views, and a conclusion that restates your position. Signposting such as “Conversely” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the discussion, and the ideas generally progress in a sensible order. Some connections are less clear, however. The opening of the second paragraph, “People who argue with this statement that children making decision for themselves,” is difficult to follow, and the sentence about a child repeating an action after experiencing its results does not clearly connect to the point about accepting consequences. The sequence of “The first reason,” “Another possible reason,” and “Lastly” is also somewhat mechanical. Use clearer topic sentences and make the relationship between each example and its supporting claim explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including relevant terms such as “parental guidance,” “consequences,” “nutritious meals,” and “problem solving skills.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and you attempt some less common expressions. At times, however, word choice and collocation are inaccurate or imprecise: “giving them freehand in decision making,” “boosts confident,” and “more of doing that thing again” do not express the intended meanings naturally. There are also spelling or form issues, such as “self experience.” Aim for more precise, conventional phrasing and check word forms. For example, use “freedom to make decisions,” “boosts confidence,” and “learn from the consequences of their actions.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “although allowing children to make their own choices without restrictions may encourage selfish behavior” and a relative clause in “a child who can choose anything to eat.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. For example, “People who argue with this statement that children making decision for themselves” is an incomplete and awkwardly formed sentence; “children making decision” also lacks correct plural marking. In “when a child realizes the results of his action then another time he becomes more of doing that thing again,” the clause structure is difficult to control. Review sentence completeness, articles and plurals, and practise expressing cause and consequence in clear clauses. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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