Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-25

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 5.0)

In my opinion, everyone is allowed to make decisions for them. But, if we talk about children I think that they must be taught first about their good and bad, and once they get mature, they must be given independence and even live their life on their own terms and values. By giving them choices in certain situations like food, clothes, and entertainment, doesn't really affect them or spoil them. I personally think that it doesn't lead to a society of individuals who only think about their opinion. It leads to a society where everyone cares about other people's opinions too. Because, when they think they can do whatever they want, other people can also. Moreover, when you really try to put restrictions on someone especially children, or you try dictate them, they will try to quit the situation and live their life at their own selves. But, when you give them space they are more supposed to obey you or respect you. Some people also think that children must be trained in a way that they could live happily and make big decisions of their lives. Some people think it's necessary but many don't. For instance, the son's of my auntie fell to bad companies, started smoking, and had affairs with girls. The question arises here is "Why did they do that?". The amswer is simple "because their father used to dictate them for everything and scold them for no reason". So, conclusionally I would say that children must be given space too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give a clear opinion that children should have space to make choices, and you offer a relevant personal example about your aunt’s sons. However, the discussion is unbalanced: the view that children’s choices may encourage selfishness is mentioned mainly to reject it, rather than explained fairly, and the opposing view is not developed with clear reasons. The example about strict parenting supports your position, but the link between everyday choices and the sons’ behaviour is not fully established. The response also contains 245 words, so it is five words below the required minimum; nine words copied from the prompt were not counted. Develop both views more fully and add a specific explanation or example before concluding.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

Your ideas are generally connected, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “For instance,” and “So” help show relationships between points. The response has a recognisable movement from your opinion to an example and a conclusion. However, it is presented as one long paragraph, so the two views and your own position are not clearly separated. Some connections are also difficult to follow: “Because, when they think they can do whatever they want, other people can also” does not clearly explain why children’s choices would make them considerate. The discussion shifts abruptly to the aunt’s sons. Use separate paragraphs for each view and your opinion, and make each linking sentence explain the logical connection between the example and the claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough everyday vocabulary to communicate your main position, including relevant terms such as “restrictions,” “dictate,” “independence,” and “respect.” This gives the response some topic-specific range. However, several expressions are imprecise or unnatural, which limits clarity and flexibility: “their good and bad,” “live their life at their own selves,” and “bad companies” do not express the intended meanings naturally. There is also a spelling error in “amswer,” and “conclusionally” is not an appropriate form for introducing a conclusion. Aim for more accurate collocations and a slightly more formal register, for example, “understand right from wrong,” “make their own choices,” and “negative peer groups.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, including conditional structures such as “when you give them space” and a relative clause in “a society where everyone cares.” These attempts show some range, and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors recur in agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence construction. For example, “By giving them choices …, doesn’t really affect them” has a dangling opening phrase and an unclear subject; “the son’s of my auntie” uses an incorrect plural form; and “they are more supposed to obey you” has an inaccurate construction. Review subject–verb agreement and sentence boundaries, and simplify sentences when needed so that the relationship between clauses is clear.

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