Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
Group activities helps kids to learn many things. That's why some people think that every parent should motivate their kids to take a part in group activities. While, others believe that children should first learn how to occupy themselves on their own. I will discuss both these views before I put forth my opinion.
On the one hand, taking a part in group activities brings a lots of benefits. Firstly, they can learn many essential skills such as communication, team-work and good listening skills. These skills can be helpful to them later in their life when they will be working on a project in their school or at work. Moreover, during free time, it is always a great idea to go out and do something rather than sitting at home. By taking a part in activities, they can make new friends and learn something valuable by spending time with them.
On the other hand, keeping our selves busy on our own has its own advantages. As seen these days, everyone is busy in their life, no one has time for others. So if kids learn at very early age to occupy themselves on their own, they will not feel lonely and will enjoy their life peacefully. Furthermore, nowadays, some kids start smoking vapes, cigarettes and drugs at very early age, therefore if parents will teach themselves to rather being alone, they will stay away from these addictions.
To Conclude, in my opinion, as children can learn many important skills easily at very early age because of these organized group activities, parents should motivate their kids to take part, but they should also check that what are their kids learning and with whom they are spending time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
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 social skills versus the value of independence. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding children avoiding addictions by being alone is a bit underdeveloped and lacks a logical bridge to the prompt's focus on 'occupying themselves'. While the position is clear throughout, the essay would benefit from more detailed examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points and reiterates the writer's stance.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore', which help guide the reader through the arguments. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow. For example, the sentence 'if parents will teach themselves to rather being alone' is confusingly phrased and disrupts the logical progression of the argument. Overall, the information is arranged coherently, but the use of cohesive devices could be more sophisticated and natural to achieve a higher score.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at using topic-specific vocabulary like 'organized group activities' and 'essential skills'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'taking a part' (should be 'taking part'), 'a lots of benefits' (should be 'a lot of benefits'), and 'everyone is busy in their life' (should be 'everyone is busy in their lives'). These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a lack of precision that prevents a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('Group activities helps') and preposition usage ('at very early age' instead of 'at a very early age'). There are also issues with sentence construction, such as 'if parents will teach themselves to rather being alone', which is grammatically incorrect and awkward. While the writer attempts complex structures, the frequency of errors in basic grammar and punctuation is noticeable. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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