Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-07

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 this modern era, education is a fundamental part of life. At a very early age, some parents got admitted their toddlers to preschool, while others wait for kids to get mature enough before enroll in the nursery school. There are several pros and cons of this trend and I will discuss both in the following paragraphs.

There are various factors that contribute to the advantages of this trend. First and the foremost benefit is enhancing the overall development of a child, prepare them for competitive world. In other words, kid's brain is more active when they are small. They are curious to know more of their surroundings and adapt very quickly. By enrolling in the school at an early age will helps learning skill which is helpful for their overall growth. For example, they will meet with their peer, take part in activities, which helps to develop social skill.

However, disadvantages of this trend cannot be overseen. Early years are crucial for a kid to build a strong relationship with their parents. If they are sent to school at an early age, it will increase the burden of academics and may affect their emotional intelligence because its time to enjoy their adolosence rather than taking responsibilty.

In conclusion, although education is crucial for a kind to be competitive in this modern era, it is also imprtant to let them live their life.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both advantages and disadvantages of preschool. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum requirement, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. The arguments are presented but remain superficial; for instance, the mention of 'emotional intelligence' and 'burden of academics' is not sufficiently expanded or supported with concrete examples. The conclusion is also quite brief and lacks a summary of the main points. To improve, you must expand your supporting arguments and ensure you meet the word count to allow for a full exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices like 'First and the foremost' and 'However', but the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the phrase 'this trend', which could be more explicitly linked to the previous sentence. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is underdeveloped, making the overall progression feel abrupt. Increasing the length and using a wider variety of linking words would improve the cohesion of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'got admitted their toddlers' (should be 'enrolled their toddlers') and 'get mature' (should be 'mature'). You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary like 'emotional intelligence' and 'competitive world', but the overall range is limited. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and ensuring collocations are natural and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'By enrolling in the school at an early age will helps learning skill' (incorrect verb form and structure) and 'it is also imprtant to let them live their life' (spelling error). There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and verb tense consistency.

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

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