Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · 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 7.5)

In recent times, many children are being sent to nurseries by their parents at a very early age, while other parents believe in keeping children home until they are old enough to go to primary school. While there are some significant advantages of preschool attendance, there are few demerits as well which cannot be overlooked.

The significant advantage of early childhood education is social development. 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 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, the main disadvantage associated with this 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 are too young to practice good hygiene and frequently spread germs to each other. For instance, children going to preschool usually have a 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 benefits such as overall social and cognitive development of children are far more significant for the parents.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of preschool attendance. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. Ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of social skills and the susceptibility to infections. The development is logical, though the discussion of the disadvantages could be slightly more extended to match the depth of the advantages. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task well, providing a balanced view that directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the advantages and disadvantages is handled effectively using cohesive devices like 'On the contrary' and 'Additionally'. Referencing is generally clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate. While the flow is smooth, some of the cohesive links are standard; incorporating a wider variety of linking expressions could elevate the score further. Nevertheless, the structure is coherent and easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary used is sufficient and appropriate for the task. The student demonstrates a good grasp of topic-specific terminology such as 'cognitive development', 'interpersonal skills', and 'susceptible to infections'. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, and the word choices are generally precise. While the range is adequate, it does not consistently reach the level of 'skilful use of uncommon items' required for a higher band. However, the language is natural, and there are no errors in word choice that impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. The grammar is generally accurate, with many error-free sentences. There is good control over punctuation and sentence construction. While there are no major grammatical errors, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited; the essay relies heavily on standard subordinating conjunctions. To achieve a higher score, the student could experiment with more varied sentence patterns, such as inversion or more sophisticated conditional clauses, while maintaining the current level of accuracy.

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

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