Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-28
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 5.5)
There is an ongoing debate about whether children should spend time in taking participating group activities or they should allocate their free time for themselves. I believe children should allocate their free time for organized group activities as they help learning in communication skills.
People who argue that children should spend their free time by themselves often justify by saying that it could protect them by influencing bad behavior. Some students have bad habits which can seen by other children and they try to replicate it. As a result, other children adopt bad habits. For example, some students often abuse others when they are specially in unsupervised environment such as summer camp. This influences other people from that summer camp's group and they also started abuse. Therefore, it is better to spend children free time by their own instead of going out and vulnerable with bad habits.
On the other hand, people who support children to participate in group activities believe that it improves communication skills. As children can talk with other children, they improve their communication skills. Their thinking ability eventually improved when they talk with other students which can be improved.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 193 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address both sides of the argument and state a clear position, the arguments are underdeveloped. For instance, the point about 'bad habits' is repetitive and lacks a nuanced explanation. To improve, you must expand your supporting points with more detailed examples and ensure the essay meets the length requirement to allow for a full discussion of the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt at logical progression. However, the use of cohesive devices is limited and sometimes mechanical. For example, the transition 'On the other hand' is used correctly, but the overall flow between sentences is somewhat disjointed. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the lack of a concluding paragraph makes the essay feel unfinished. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence followed by well-connected supporting ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. You rely on basic terms such as 'bad habits' and 'improve', which are repeated throughout the text. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'spend time in taking participating group activities' and 'vulnerable with bad habits'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, and ensure that your word choices are accurate and contextually appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'they help learning in communication skills' (should be 'help develop') and 'they also started abuse' (should be 'started abusing'). There are also issues with verb tense consistency and preposition usage. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of gerunds and infinitives. Proofreading for basic errors will help you achieve a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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