Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-15
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)
In the contemporary world, many people believe parents should encourage their children to participate in organised group activities during their leisure time. Others believe that children should learn to spend their free time by themselves. In this essay. I will discuss both views and give my perspective in the ensuing paragraph.
On the one hand, group activities offer more benefits for children. For example, Children can join a sports club or sports team with their friends. By doing these activities, they learn how to work and communicate with other people. They also learn important skills such as teamwork, sharing, and helping each other. For instance, a child who plays a football match knows the rules of the game and how to play in a team to win a game. Group activities can help children make friends and become more confident.
On the other hand, it is also important for children to spend time alone. When children are alone, they can do whatever they want to do and learn to make their own decisions. For example, children can read books, play games, and learn new skills. These activities can improve their creativity and make them more independent. They also learn how to spend their leisure time without depending on others, such as their friends and family members.
Taking everything into consideration, there are different opinions about this topic. In my opinion, for me, children learn more while participating in organised group activities. This is because it brings more positive effects in the long run.
In conclusion, group activities help children to learn more about teamwork and social skills, while spending time alone teaches children how to become independent and creative.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—participating in organised group activities and spending free time alone—and provides a clear personal opinion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as joining sports clubs or playing football matches to build teamwork, and reading books or playing games to foster independence and creativity. However, some of the supporting ideas tend to be slightly repetitive or under-developed, preventing the response from reaching the highest bands. For instance, the explanation of how group activities help children could be extended further with deeper analysis rather than listing general skills. Nonetheless, the task is competently addressed, fitting comfortably into Band 6.5 or 7.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organised with a clear overall progression. It begins with a standard introductory paragraph that outlines the structure of the essay, moves through body paragraphs discussing each opposing view, and concludes with summary remarks. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'For example', though referencing can occasionally feel a bit mechanical or formulaic. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating distinct arguments into distinct blocks of text. The flow from one point to the next is generally smooth, though minor improvements in cohesive variety would elevate the score further.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to the topic such as 'contemporary world', 'organised group activities', 'leisure time', 'teamwork', and 'independent'. There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally paired with minor word-choice or collocation awkwardness, such as 'In this essay. I will discuss' where a punctuation error occurs, or 'brings more positive effects' instead of 'yields more positive effects'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary does not impede communication, placing the response securely in the Band 6.0 to 6.5 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. The writer successfully uses dependent clauses and conditional structures, such as 'When children are alone, they can do whatever they want to do' and 'a child who plays a football match knows the rules'. However, there are some minor grammatical slips and punctuation errors, most notably the sentence boundary mistake in the introduction ('In this essay. I will discuss...'). Additionally, there are minor redundancies like 'In my opinion, for me, children learn more...', which detract from syntactic precision. Despite these lapses, the majority of simple sentences are error-free and complex structures do not impede comprehension.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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