Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-14

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 6.0)

In various cultures, children grow up hearing that there are no limits to what they achieve if they are determined. This belief is intended to inspire them to pursue their dreams. However, it may also create unrealistic expectations. In my opinion this mindset is beneficial that children are also taught to be passionate but their limitations can also place excessive pressure on young children.

On a one hand, this approach teaches children's to take responsibility for their development. Rather than assuming that intelligence and talent are fixed qualities, they may understand that consistent practice, constructive feedback can improve their performance. For example, a child who initially struggles to speak confidentially in public may gradually become an effective communicator by practicing regularly and learning from mistake. In my opinion, As a results it encourages to be self confident.

On the other hand, the believe that anything is possible through hard work alone can have negative consequences. Success is not always determined by individual's effort. For example students who believe that they must achieve the highest marks through constant effort may suffer from anxiety. This may lead to personal failure.

In conclusion, encouraging children to work hard towards their ambition can strengthen their confidence and willingness to work. Nevertheless, it should not be presented as a way to absolute success. Parent should encourage them by giving them the example of their personal experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both the advantages and disadvantages and give a relevant overall view: the message can build confidence, but should not be presented as guaranteeing success. The point about practice and feedback improving performance is supported with an example, while the anxiety example illustrates a possible drawback. However, the two sides are not developed equally: the disadvantage is brief, and “This may lead to personal failure” is unclear and not explained. Your opening position is also difficult to follow because it combines passion, limitations and pressure in one sentence. The response is 19 words below the required minimum, so there is less space to explain the effects and qualify your position. Develop each main idea with a clearer explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. “On the other hand” signals the shift effectively, and the examples generally follow the points they support. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall arrangement and shows some of the stronger progression expected at the next level. However, links within sentences are sometimes unclear, as in “consistent practice, constructive feedback can improve their performance,” and “This may lead to personal failure” does not clearly connect anxiety to a specific outcome. The conclusion repeats the main contrast but adds advice about parents without developing it. Use clearer sentence-level links and make each paragraph progress from claim to explanation to example.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “unrealistic expectations,” “constructive feedback,” “consistent practice” and “anxiety.” These choices help communicate the central ideas, and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more precise expressions, such as “fixed qualities” and “absolute success,” though the latter is not a natural fit in this context. Some word-choice, spelling and collocation errors reduce precision: “speak confidentially” does not express speaking confidently, “the believe” uses the wrong form, and “personal failure” is vague. “Work towards their ambition” is also less natural than a standard collocation. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check word forms and spelling during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex forms, including a contrast introduced by “However” and a conditional-style example beginning “A child who initially struggles…”. Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “On a one hand” has an incorrect article, “teaches children's” uses an unnecessary plural possessive, and “Parent should encourage them” needs a plural or an article. The sentence “In my opinion this mindset is beneficial that…” is structurally unclear, while “As a results it encourages to be self confident” lacks a clear subject and has agreement problems. Punctuation after introductory phrases is also inconsistent. Practise building complete clauses and checking articles, agreement and sentence boundaries.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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