Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-24

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that parents should encourage their children to take part in organised group activities in their free time. Others say that it is important for children to learn how to occupy themselves on their own.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

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

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In recent years, an increasing number of parents are concerned about their children's free time. While some people say that they should be encouraged to participate in group activities, others argue that they should learn how to play on their own. This essay will discuss both views before presenting my opinion.

On the one hand, taking part in organized group activities can be beneficial for children in a long run. Group sports such as soccer and basketball where the players need group planning and cooperating each other to score a goal or basket. So, in a way, they learn cooperation and management skills at very young age which could be useful when they grown up, since most of them will eventually work in a team.

On the other hand, learning how to occupy themselves on their own has its own importance. Children who prefer their own company are usually more creative and less dependent. They often make their own games, imaginary player and opponent's, and play in their own way which enhances their creativity. Moreover, they usually solve difficulties on their own because they don't have anyone who could help them.

In my opinion, a balanced approach should be considered, where children should be motivated for both group activities and individual activities. Despite focusing on one methods, parents should divide their children's time in such a manner, so they would get enough time for both, because this approach can contribute in children overall development. For example, parents can enroll their children in sports, parallelly, they can give their children some tasks where children have to complete the tasks on their own.

In conclusion, group activities and individual activities have their own benefits. So, in my opinion a balanced approach should be considered for children overall development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of teamwork in sports and the development of creativity through solitary play. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how solitary play enhances creativity is brief and could be further extended with more specific examples. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with more depth and specific detail.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. However, there are some minor issues with mechanical cohesion, such as the sentence fragment 'Group sports such as soccer and basketball where the players need group planning...' which lacks a main verb. Additionally, the transition between the final body paragraph and the conclusion could be smoother. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the clarity of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use less common vocabulary, such as 'eventually', 'contribute', and 'parallelly'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'imaginary player and opponent's' (should be 'imaginary players and opponents') and 'despite focusing on one methods' (should be 'instead of focusing on one method'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise and varied vocabulary would elevate the response to a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'at very young age' (missing article), 'when they grown up' (incorrect verb form), and 'children overall development' (missing possessive). Some sentences are incomplete, such as the aforementioned fragment in the second paragraph. Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear, and the punctuation is mostly correct. To improve, the writer should focus on subject-verb agreement, article usage, and ensuring that all sentences contain a clear subject and predicate.

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.