Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-02

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)

It is observed that guardians are the roots of kids future and they should promote their children to perform structured group activities in their leisure time while other individuals says the decision on spending their time should be decided by themselves without involving the parents. From my perspective, I strongly agree with the first statement as it is crucial that parents play a major part in decision making rather then leaving it on the kids.

Firstly, Decision making is often seen as a responsibility, however, it should be in the hands of people who are responsible to make the decision. For instance, a certain sense of responsibility comes with age, such as kids have not seen much of life and deciding on what to do in their leisure times is baseless. Moreover, they are not well aware of pros and cons of the activity they choose to do. However, parents knows what works best for their kids and, are sensible and responsible enough to make the decision for the children.

Furthermore, there are high chances of children falling into bad habits and activities if not observed correctly. For example, giving freedom to the kid on choosing the activity they love and they might not fully express to their parents. As a consequence, in order to hide their interests they might unintentionally indulge into things that are not appropriate to their age.

On the contrary, sense of freedom in decision making can make the children a good and better person such as while choosing their favourite activity can boost their creativity levels and open their minds to think widely when proposing an idea or plan. Thus, creative minds need freedom and if parents are letting their child decide on doing things on their own, they may shine bright.

Lastly, from my point of view, freedom of choosing the activity should depend on the parents as they are well aware of their kids' habits. However, it should not ignore the fact that freedom can make children express their interests without hesitation and it can improve their creativity level which might not develop when involved in group activities.

To sum up, it is important to create a balance between both the ideas as it totally depends on the nature of the children and how the parents react to their decision making. Although, I emphasize more on the parents making a decision, but their advantages must not overweigh the advantages the solo decisions of kids.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While the first body paragraph provides a clear rationale for parental involvement, the second body paragraph regarding the benefits of freedom is slightly contradictory to the stated position, and the conclusion introduces a 'balance' that weakens the previously stated strong stance. The ideas are relevant, but the argument lacks the depth required for a higher band, as some points are repetitive or slightly underdeveloped.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', 'On the contrary', and 'To sum up' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions are mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'giving freedom to the kid on choosing the activity they love and they might not fully express to their parents', which lacks a clear grammatical connection to the preceding clause. Overall, the paragraphing is sufficient, but the flow could be more natural.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'indulge' and 'baseless', though some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'guardians are the roots of kids future'. There are also minor errors in collocation and word form, such as 'overweigh' instead of 'outweigh'. The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('parents knows', 'individuals says') and punctuation errors. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'it should not ignore the fact that freedom can make children express their interests'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. The control of complex structures is inconsistent, and the punctuation of clauses needs more attention.

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

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