Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-10-03

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 4.0)

While some individuals think that children tend to learn better when they are grouped together with kids of similar educational capabilities, others are of the opinion that school going children perform better when they are coupled with kids having wide range of academic abilities. This environment offers motivation to do better and be competitive amongst each other but in some children it also brings out the fear of lagging behind when grouped with children with diverse capabilities and in my opinion this approach should be discouraged.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The most significant issue with this response is that it severely falls short of the word count requirement of at least 250 words, containing only 86 words. Because of this extreme brevity, the task is addressed only minimally. While the introduction briefly touches upon both views and hints at a personal opinion, the ideas are drastically underdeveloped, lacking any meaningful elaboration, extension, or relevant examples from personal knowledge or experience, placing the response firmly at the lowest end of the scale for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

Despite being extremely brief, the entire response is compressed into a single, excessively long run-on sentence that serves as both the introduction and the body. There is a basic attempt to connect ideas using cohesive devices such as 'While', 'others are of the opinion', and 'but in some children', which provides a rudimentary logical flow. However, the absence of paragraphing and the lack of overall progression prevent the text from achieving a higher score. Cohesion is faulty and mechanical, reflecting the characteristics of a lower-intermediate level.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for basic communication, featuring phrases like 'educational capabilities', 'competitive amongst each other', and 'diverse capabilities'. However, the range is quite limited and repetitive, with minor lexical inaccuracies such as 'school going children' instead of 'school-going children' or 'students'. The writer attempts some slightly less common vocabulary, but the lack of development and variety prevents demonstrating the flexibility required for higher band scores.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response consists of a single, highly complex sentence structure that is burdened by conjunctions and clauses, leading to a lack of proper punctuation. While there are some correct grammatical forms and attempts at complex structures, the sheer length of the single sentence without intermediate periods makes it difficult to parse. Grammatical errors are present, particularly in punctuation and structural control, which places this response at the mid-level for accuracy.

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.