Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-27

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 6.0)

Learning starts at an early age, that pressurize some people to enroll their youngsters in preschool. Others claim that kids should be old enough to be in preschool. There are several reasons behind this debate, it also has some drawbacks and benefits that I will explain in detail throughout the upcoming explanation.

To start with its brighter side, quick learning, children at the age of 3-4 grasp things faster than primary school kids. The reason is early preparation for schooling. Since they start developing habits like following routines and fostering fine motor and gross motor skills. This practice and learning make them able to adjust to schooling routines, studying, and following decorum. Moreover, they do not feel separation anxiety because they are already familiar with that and develop an understanding of going away from their parents for some reason and for their betterment.

To start with the darker side, some individuals believe that their young children should stay with them until they are ready to go to primary school. This is why their children feel anxiety and fear about going to school. They take longer to be adjusted in school environment compared to early preschool kids. Besides this, their academic achievement is also affected by nervousness and anxiety. Since they were not prepared for this environment and were in their comfort zone since birth. The reason is that parents and teachers can not play each other's role as they do themself.

Although preschooling has some cons, it has more pros.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of sending children to preschool at a young age. In the introduction, the writer outlines the intention to explore the drawbacks and benefits. The second paragraph clearly outlines the advantages, such as quick learning, routine development, and reduced separation anxiety. The third paragraph discusses the disadvantages, focusing on potential anxiety and difficulties in adjusting for children who stay at home longer. However, the conclusion is extremely abrupt and lacks proper development, merely stating that preschool has more pros. While the main ideas are relevant and supported with some explanation, the overall development is somewhat restricted by the brevity and limited depth of argumentation. Consequently, the performance aligns best with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear division into introduction, body paragraphs for pros and cons, and a short concluding sentence. The writer uses discourse markers such as 'To start with its brighter side' and 'To start with the darker side' to signal the direction of the arguments. However, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence of the third paragraph ('The reason is that parents and teachers can not play each other's role as they do themself'), where the pronoun reference is ambiguous. Paragraphing is attempted, but the conclusion is underdeveloped and stunted. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical and repetitive. Overall, these features demonstrate the characteristics of a Band 6.0 performance.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'separation anxiety', 'fine motor and gross motor skills', and 'academic achievement'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text. For example, 'that pressurize some people' contains grammatical and lexical inaccuracies, and 'to be adjusted in school environment' should be 'to adjust to the school environment'. The phrase 'darker side' is slightly unnatural in this academic context compared to 'disadvantages'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but lexical control is inconsistent. These limitations place the vocabulary firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer attempts some complex structures, such as relative clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'Since they start developing habits...', 'Although preschooling has some cons, it has more pros'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward structures that disrupt the flow. For instance, 'Learning starts at an early age, that pressurize some people' features a comma splice and incorrect relative pronoun usage. Additionally, sentence fragments and punctuation issues appear, such as the incomplete introductory sentence structure. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the essay from reaching Band 6.5.

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.