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)

It is often considered by some individuals that guardians should motivate their children to become a part of organized group activities in their leisure time. While others argue that it is essential for children to engage themselves in self activities. Although solo activities have numerous advantages, I believe group work enables people to acquire practical skills and improve team work.

One of the primary reasons why solo activities play a vital role in shaping children's personality is that spending time with themselves allow children to know their personality traits and weaknesses. This is largely because children can efficiently work on their talents, and it foster intellectual development. Dancing, singing, and writing, for examples, are traits that individuals can identify only when they spend time with themselves. Therefore, it is evident that when children occupy themselves on their own can develop critical thinking.

However, working in a team can develop social skills, and encourage team-work. To be specific, when youngsters are exposed to group activities, they tend to work better as it broaden their horizons, which allow them to analyze other's opinions also. A clear example of this can be seen in teenagers who take part in group projects in their educational institution, tend to perform better in their personal and professional lives because they learn to cope with others. Hence, group projects not only teach children resilience, but it also teach them to work patiently.

To conclude, while spending time alone can provide insight regarding their hidden talents, I believe that group activities have a profound impact on children's overall development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the benefits of self-reflection through solo activities and the development of social skills through group work. However, the development is somewhat uneven; the second body paragraph is more detailed than the first. To reach a higher band, ensure that the supporting examples are more fully explored. For instance, while you mention dancing and singing, explaining how these specifically foster 'intellectual development' would strengthen the argument. The position is consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'One of the primary reasons', 'However', and 'To be specific' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Additionally, there is a minor issue with referencing in the final sentence of the second paragraph: 'it also teach them' uses a singular pronoun 'it' to refer to 'group projects', which is plural. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'broaden their horizons', 'personality traits', and 'profound impact' are used appropriately. There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'engage themselves in self activities' (which is slightly unnatural; 'solitary activities' would be better) and 'it foster intellectual development' (subject-verb agreement error). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the control is not entirely consistent. Expanding your range of collocations would help elevate the lexical score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use complex sentences, there are recurring grammatical errors that slightly impede the flow. For example, 'when children occupy themselves on their own can develop' is missing a subject or requires rephrasing. There are also subject-verb agreement issues, such as 'it foster' instead of 'it fosters' and 'it also teach' instead of 'they also teach'. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the punctuation is generally accurate. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will improve this score.

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