Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

In recent times, many children are being sent to nurseries by their parents at a very early age, while other parents believe keeping children home until they are old enough to go to primary school. There are both pros and cons of starting preschool at an early age, as we shall discuss.

The significant advantage of early childhood education is social development. it fosters. Young children learn to interact with peers, take turns, share and resolve minor conflicts- foundational skills that are difficult to develop in a home environment with limited social exposure. Since playing with the fellow children teaches them to share their toys and books with others, it assists them to develop communication and interpersonal skills. Additionally, preschool introduces them to structured routines, basic literacy and numeracy concepts which assist in cognitive development.

On the contrary, main disadvantage associated with phenomenon is the emotional anxiety experienced by young children. 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 susceptible to infections when compared to those who stay at home for longer years. This is because they too young to practice good hygiene and frequently spread germs to each other. For instance, children going to preschool usually have higher rate of infectious illnesses such as common cold when compared to others.

In conclusion, although emotional anxiety and frequent illnesses are common disadvantages associated with the practice of sending kids to preschool, the advantage such as overall social and cognitive development is far more significant for the parents .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of early preschool attendance. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. The advantages (social development, cognitive skills) and disadvantages (emotional anxiety, health issues) are well-supported with logical explanations. To reach a higher band, the development of these ideas could be slightly more nuanced; for example, the conclusion could briefly synthesise the arguments rather than simply stating that one side is more significant. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets the requirements of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the pros and cons. Cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'On the contrary', and 'Furthermore' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, there are minor issues with cohesion; for instance, the sentence 'it fosters' in the second paragraph is a fragment that disrupts the flow. Additionally, some referencing is slightly mechanical. Despite these minor slips, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. You have used some good topic-specific collocations such as 'social development', 'interpersonal skills', and 'cognitive development'. There are occasional inaccuracies, such as 'associated with phenomenon' (missing an article) and 'too young to practice good hygiene'. While the range is adequate, it lacks the sophistication or precision of less common lexical items that would elevate the score to an 8.0. The vocabulary is functional and allows for clear communication of your ideas without any significant strain on the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several error-free sentences, which is positive. However, there are recurring grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the main disadvantage', 'the phenomenon') and minor syntax issues like 'they too young' instead of 'they are too young'. Punctuation is generally sound, but the sentence fragment 'it fosters' indicates a need for more careful proofreading. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching the higher bands where the majority of sentences must be error-free.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.