Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-22

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, there has been a growing trend towards sending children to preschool at an early age especially they around three or four years old. This development has both advantages and disadvantages. While some parents believe that preschool education is beneficial for their child, others say that children should go to school even if they understand basic things. Both the positives as well as drawbacks of this trend are discussed further.

On the one hand, there are several advantages of preschool education at an early age. To begin with, one of the main benefit is that children become more intelligent and smarter from the other child. This is because they learn at school some basic manners and actively build their ability. As a result, they may grow in their career in advanced way, which is makes them independent, cleaver and honest person in their lives. For example, children is going to playcenter, it generally gives them benefit and prepare for some extracurricular activities such as dancing, singing, and playing for sports. Therefore, it is clear that sending children to preschool can have positive impact on society.

On the other hand, this trend has some disadvantages to be consider. One significant drawback is that children can face some difficulties at their primary education, if they not attending preschool studies. This is because children can not catch up their education easily compared to other students. As a result, they may not have smarter and quick learner after some time. For instance, children become slower in their education system and some basic knowledge and skills. Therefore, some students require wisely study and guidance for their parents for their career growth.

In conclusion, sending children to preschool or sending after primary school has both advantages and disadvantages. The main benefit is that children become intelligent and smarter compared to others, while disadvantages is that they might be faced some challenges in their primary education. Therefore, it is important to consider both sides before deciding whether preschool education is beneficial.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of preschool. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For instance, the argument that children become 'smarter' is mentioned multiple times without specific, well-developed evidence. The discussion of disadvantages is slightly confusing, as the student argues that children face difficulties in primary school if they do not attend preschool, which is a valid point, but the explanation lacks clarity. To improve, ensure that each point is supported by a clear, logical explanation rather than just stating the same idea in different words.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'To begin with', and 'In conclusion' are used to signal transitions. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the flow between sentences within paragraphs is occasionally disjointed. For example, the transition between the benefits of extracurricular activities and the impact on society is abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary range is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. There are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'cleaver and honest person' (clever) and 'playing for sports' (playing sports). The student relies on repetitive phrasing like 'intelligent and smarter' throughout the essay. To reach a higher band, the student should aim to use a wider range of topic-specific vocabulary and focus on accurate collocations, avoiding simple errors that occasionally make the meaning slightly unclear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the quality of the writing. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('children is going to playcenter'), missing articles, and incorrect verb forms ('if they not attending'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To improve, the student should focus on basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring correct verb tenses and subject-verb agreement, before attempting more complex structures.

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

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