Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-05

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 4.5)

It is believed by many that parents should motivate their children to engage in organized group activities in their leisure time whereas others state youngsters must learn themselves to be occupied. This essay will discuss both these views before presenting my own opinion.

For the former view, people who think children should participate in group activities while they are free because young people learn valuable skills during their play such as teamwork, cooperation and so on. This also teaches them to build confidence and speak for themselves.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the required 250-word minimum, containing only 87 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While the introduction sets up the discussion, the body paragraph is extremely brief and fails to develop the arguments for both sides or provide a clear, supported opinion as required by the prompt. The ideas presented—such as teamwork and confidence—are mentioned but not extended or supported with relevant examples. Due to the severe lack of development and failure to meet the length requirement, the response cannot be awarded a higher band for task achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.5

The essay is too short to demonstrate a full range of cohesive devices or effective paragraphing. While there is a basic attempt at an introduction, the lack of a complete body and conclusion makes it impossible to assess the logical progression of ideas. The transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is abrupt, and the lack of further paragraphs prevents the use of cohesive devices to link ideas across the text. The overall structure is incomplete, which limits the ability to demonstrate coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is functional but basic. Phrases such as 'motivate their children', 'engage in organized group activities', and 'valuable skills' are appropriate but limited in range. There is no attempt to use less common or sophisticated vocabulary that would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control. Because the text is so short, the range of vocabulary is insufficient to demonstrate the flexibility required for higher bands. The word choice is accurate, but the overall lexical resource is very limited.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. For example, the opening sentence is a complex construction, though it contains a minor error ('learn themselves to be occupied' is awkward phrasing). There are no major grammatical errors that impede communication, but the limited length prevents the demonstration of a wide range of structures. The grammar is generally accurate, but the lack of variety and the brevity of the text restrict the score.

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

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