Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-01

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)

The increasing influence of early preschool education has ignited numerous discussions. This matter is particularly significant due to its impact on children's education, social development and future learning. In this essay, I will examine the advantages and disadvantages of sending children to preschool at a young age and their implications for society.

One of the primary advantages of early prechool education is that its helps children develop social and academic skills at a young age. This is further supported by the fact that people can learn how to communicate, share and interact with other children in structured environment. Research has demonstrated that early preschool education improves children's social and learning skills. Moreover, an additional benefit of sending children preschool is its ability to prepare them for primary schools and develop confidence and independence. Thus, the advantages of early preschool education are essential to be considered for children's personal and academic development.

However, alongside the benefits, there are drawbacks to early preschool education. One significant limitation of early preachool education is that some children may experience stree and anxiety when they stay away from their parents. Numerous studies indicate that early preschool education may lead to _____. Furthermore, ____ create(s) challenges which impact both individuals and society. Consequently, it is evident that the demerits associated with preschool education must be addressed.

To conclude, sending children to preschool at a young age offers notable benefits as well as significant challenges. Future efforts should focus on finding a balanced approach to the use of early preachool education, aiming to maximize its positive impact while minimizing any potential adverse effects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the advantages and disadvantages of early preschool education, fulfilling the basic requirements of the task. However, the development of ideas is uneven and some parts are under-developed or unclear. For instance, the second body paragraph mentions benefits like social and learning skills, but repeats these points rather than extending them with specific examples. Furthermore, the discussion on drawbacks in the third paragraph is significantly hindered by incomplete sentences and missing parts, such as 'lead to _____' and '_____ create(s) challenges'. This leaves the position partially developed and limits the overall clarity and depth of the argument, reflecting a restricted approach to fully addressing all aspects of the task prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main topics, with the introduction outlining the essay's structure, the body paragraphs addressing advantages and disadvantages respectively, and the conclusion summarizing the points. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'One of the primary advantages', 'Moreover', and 'However'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, and the logical flow is interrupted in the third paragraph due to missing text blocks. While the overarching structure remains visible, the transition between ideas requires smoother integration and better management of cohesive ties to achieve a higher level of progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'implications', 'structured environment', and 'adverse effects'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors and word-choice inaccuracies that detract from the overall precision, including 'prechool' and 'preachool' instead of preschool, and 'stree' instead of stress. Phrases like 'its helps' also indicate slip-ups in word choice and control. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points and does not severely impede understanding, these recurring spelling mistakes and occasional imprecise lexical choices prevent the writing from reaching a higher level of lexical flexibility and accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as 'One of the primary advantages of early preschool education is that its helps children develop...' and 'Consequently, it is evident that the demerits associated with preschool education must be addressed.' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text, such as missing articles ('sending children preschool' instead of 'sending children to preschool') and subject-verb agreement issues. Fortunately, these errors rarely impede overall communication. The punctuation is generally functional, and the mix of sentence structures shows an acceptable control of grammar for this level, though more consistent accuracy in complex patterns is needed for advancement.

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.