Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-09-18

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that children learn better when they are placed in classes with children of similar academic abilities. Others believe that children learn better when they are in classes with children representing a diverse range of academic abilities.

Discuss both these views and give your opinion

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Do the children perform better in a classroom with children of similar academic abilities, or do they perform better in a classroom with children with different range of academic abilities? This essay will cover both aspects and later form an opinion.

People voting for a classroom with similar academic abilities usually invokes this based on the ground that children with high IQ level learn faster and quicker if the classroom is based on just one range of academic abilities. For instance, in my school, the practice was to create a model section after half term exams. Top twenty students, who scored high marks, were usually picked from different class sections to make a model section. The school logic behind this was to provide an atmosphere of learning for such brilliant students whereby they can learn fast and earn high percentages at the Board examination. Usually, schools in my area compete with each based on the top position their students secure in the final exams of regional examination boards.

Contrary to this, people who advocates for diverse abilities in a classroom, calls for this because mixing diverse range of abilities in a classroom helps students with less abilities to learn easily from students with high abilities. It also helps to rank students based on their academic achievements, which provides a healthy competition among colleagues. I remember crying for days when my colleague earned the first position and I could secure only the fifth one. I envy his academic performance; however, it also provided me motivation to copy his style of study to outperform like him in the next session.

Finally, in my opinion, diversification of different abilities in a classroom is more practical and healthy for a school. Whereas it provides ample benefits to children with less abilities to learn from friends, it provides confidence to high ability students to know their strengths. However, schools are required to monitor this closely, as sometimes people with less academic abilities get discouraged, therefore, a more supervised approach by teachers is critical to ensure a smooth process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—grouping students by similar academic abilities versus a diverse range of abilities—and clearly presents a personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant personal examples, such as the author's school experience of creating a model section and competing with peers. Although the arguments are slightly generalized, they are well-developed and directly answer the prompt. The response meets the criteria for Band 7, as all parts are addressed with a clear position throughout, though further depth in theoretical reasoning could push it higher.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: introduction, the first view, the opposing view, and the conclusion containing the author's opinion. Cohesive devices are used adequately to signal transitions, such as 'Contrary to this' and 'Finally, in my opinion'. However, paragraphing and referencing can occasionally feel slightly mechanical, such as the repetitive sentence structures introducing body paragraphs. Paragraphing is used appropriately overall, satisfying the requirements for Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for flexibility and precision, utilizing topic-specific terms like 'academic abilities', 'regional examination boards', and 'diversification'. There are attempts to use less common items, though some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'people voting for a classroom' instead of 'advocating', and 'with less abilities' instead of 'lower academic ability'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is adequate to convey meaning clearly, and errors in word choice do not impede communication, placing the response solidly in Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, such as 'learn faster and quicker' (redundancy), 'compete with each based on' (missing word), and 'outperform like him'. Punctuation is generally sound, and the errors do not impede overall communication. Because there are frequent minor errors alongside complex structures, the writing aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

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