Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-30
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In some cultures, children are often told that they can achieve anything if they try hard enough. What are the advantages and disadvantages of giving children this message?
Student answer (Band 4.0)
Doing hard work is one of the major key for success. It is said that in some traditions people told children that by doing hard work they can achieve anything. There are some pros and cons of doing it that I will discuss below.
To begin with the benefits of telling children to do hard work to achieve anything, if you tell them the importance of hard work this my
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 3.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 4.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0
The response is severely under-length, containing only 70 words against the required minimum of 250 words. Because of this extreme shortfall, the task is only addressed in a very minimal and incomplete manner. The writer manages to introduce the topic and state an intention to discuss pros and cons, but completely fails to develop any actual arguments or discuss the specific advantages and disadvantages as required by the prompt. In accordance with the assessment criteria for under-length scripts, this severely limits the score for Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
Due to the fragmented and incomplete nature of the writing, it is difficult to judge full organizational capacity. The text begins with a standard introductory frame ('To begin with...') but abruptly cuts off in the second sentence. While the initial sentences show some basic logical connection between ideas, there is no overall progression or developed paragraph structure. Paragraphing is attempted, but the incomplete second paragraph prevents any meaningful assessment of cohesive devices or logical sequencing across a full essay.
Lexical Resource: Band 4.5
The vocabulary used in the snippet is extremely basic and repetitive, featuring phrases such as 'Doing hard work' and 'major key for success'. There is an error in collocation and phrasing with 'one of the major key for success' (should be 'keys'). The writer attempts some topic-related vocabulary like 'traditions' and 'achieve anything', but the overall range is far too limited to demonstrate flexibility or precision due to the brevity of the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5
The text displays a very limited range of grammatical structures, consisting only of simple and basic complex sentences. There are notable grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'major key for success' (plural/singular mismatch) and the awkward phrasing 'people told children that'. The essay cuts off mid-sentence ('this my'), which leaves a structural fragment. Although the few completed sentences are somewhat intelligible, the high frequency of issues relative to the tiny output limits the grammar score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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