Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-16

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 6.5)

In contemporary societies where dual-income families have become a norm, many children are being sent to nurseries at very early age. While other parents believe to keep children home until they are old enough to go to primary schools. There are pros and cons to both the views as shall we discuss.

The major advantage of sending children to preschool is to get childcare along with some education. This is because when both parents are working and have no time to look after their off-springs during the day, preschool provides not only a secure environment to leave their kids but also opportunity to give some basic education to young children. Another significant merit is independence and sharing which young participants learn in the preschool. As being away from their parents assist them to be emotionally strong, playing with the fellow children teaches them to share their toys and books with others.

By contrast, the significant disadvantage associated with phenomena is the emotional anxiety experienced by young children when parents leave them at unknown place. Since they are too young to understand the reasons, they have to experience stressful situations until they become familiar with the new surroundings. Furthermore, such kids are more more prone to get sick when compared to those who stay at home for longer years. The reason is children going to preschool are too young to practice good hygiene and frequently spread germs to each other causing illnesses such as common cold or stomach flu.

In conclusion, although emotional anxiety and frequent illnesses are common disadvantages associated with practice of sending kids to preschool, the advantages such as a safe childcare environment and opportunity to learn good habits are quite imperative for working parents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of preschool. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about 'independence and sharing' is introduced but could be further supported with a specific example or a more detailed explanation of how this impacts a child's long-term development. Similarly, the disadvantage regarding health is mentioned but remains a general statement. To reach a higher band, ensure that each main point is fully extended with more depth and specific reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages from the disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'By contrast', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, there are some minor issues with cohesion at the sentence level; for example, the opening sentence of the second paragraph is slightly clunky, and the transition between the first and second sentences in the introduction is grammatically incomplete. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You have used some good collocations like 'dual-income families', 'secure environment', and 'emotional anxiety'. However, there are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'off-springs' (the plural of offspring is usually just 'offspring') and 'associated with phenomena' (which lacks a determiner). Additionally, 'young participants' is a slightly odd choice for children in a nursery setting. Expanding your range to include more precise academic vocabulary would help elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'While other parents believe to keep children home' is an incomplete sentence structure, and 'as shall we discuss' is an awkward inversion. There are also minor errors with articles and plurals, such as 'at very early age' (at a very early age) and 'more more prone'. Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and you show a reasonable attempt at using complex structures.

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

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