Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-04

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some parents send their children to preschool when they are three or four years old. Other parents wait until their children are old enough for primary school before they send them to school.

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of sending children to preschool at a young age.
Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In recent years, some parents have enrolled their children in preschool at a young age, while other send their kids directly to primary school without any prior preparation. I will discuss both views and provide reasons for each.

From one perspective, sending your kids to preschool at a younger age may be more beneficiant as it allows them to start learning and become discipline in a more playful and fun environment. On the other hand, some children might find preschool activities unnecessary and not economically friendly.

Initially, I would like to mention that by sending to preschool at four or five years old, you would give them more opportunities to learn and participate in fun activities they lead to learning important skills such as being friendly, cooperative, sharing, and caring, while also reducing their selfishness, as many children these days are the only child in the family. Furthermore, they become more socialize, which helps them make new friends more easily.

On one hand, kids being away from their parents, who conscious or unconscious tend to spoil them, would help them build not only stronger character but also become more independent individual.

Notwithstanding exposes them to learning and a completely new environment, which may lead to various achievements, this might have some drawbacks, such as being away from family and feeling insecure. If you don’t prepare your kids before separating them from yourself, they may be more prone to developing mental problems in the future, even if they are small.

In conclusion, both ideas have their supporters, and each may be better than the other from different perspectives. However, the most important thing is to provide children with the best care we can, which included supportive parents to make them feel safe and secure, the teachers to encourage and inspire them, and government facilities to provide the necessary support.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of preschool. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits of social skills and independence are mentioned, the drawbacks are less clearly explored, focusing more on the potential for 'mental problems' without sufficient elaboration. The introduction states the intention to discuss both views, but the essay structure is slightly confused by the inclusion of a personal opinion that does not fully align with a balanced discussion. To reach a higher band, ensure each point is supported by a clear example or logical explanation, and maintain a consistent focus on the prompt's requirements throughout the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow is occasionally disrupted by awkward phrasing, such as the transition 'Notwithstanding exposes them to learning'. Some cohesive devices are used mechanically, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the connection between the points made and the conclusion is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety and naturalness of linking words will help the essay achieve a more professional and cohesive structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of word-choice errors and non-standard collocations. For example, 'beneficiant' is not the correct adjective form (beneficial), 'become discipline' should be 'become disciplined', and 'economically friendly' is an unusual way to express 'cost-effective'. While the student attempts to use a range of vocabulary, the inaccuracies occasionally hinder the precision of the argument. To improve, focus on learning the correct word forms and common collocations used in academic writing, and proofread to ensure that the chosen words accurately convey the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'other send their kids' (others), 'they lead to learning' (which lead to), 'they become more socialize' (socialized), and 'who conscious or unconscious tend to' (consciously or unconsciously). These errors are noticeable and sometimes require the reader to re-read to understand the intended meaning. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of control over basic grammar and word order limits the score. Increasing the accuracy of verb forms and adverbial usage will significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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

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