Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-03

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)

It is often argued that children should partcipate in group activities in leisure time, whereas others believe that children should learn what to do in free time by themselves. This essay will discuss both perspectives before explaining why I believe that balanced approach of participating in organised groupwork and doing some things alone is the best option for their overall development.

Supporters of this view argue that team activities teach cognitive skills.The mainfundamental lesson behind the team activities provide learning such as how to work in team-setting environment, respecting others opinions and views and, being a valuable player in a team.On top of that, children also develop cognitive skills along with communication skills, which is the foundational need for growth and child development. For instance, at a young age children catches the important and crucial aspects of teamwork which could not be trained individually by parents at home. They also feel more confident and energetic in group activities.

On the other hand, many parents supports that children should learn how to make themselves busy in free time. This notion has its own benefits. They think this will teach them how to priortise their tasks. In japan, for instance, there are a list of playful activities in school, which display them how to plan their day based on their goal, What needs to be done. Additionally, this creates a sense of understanding, where they can contribute in the house. They figure out their choice of fields. Whether they would like to help in the kitchen or clean the maintaining their house. Moreover, providing an opportunity to make their own decisions will uplift their self-esteem.

In conclusion, organised group activities improve cognitive and communication skills, figuring out how to spend their leisure time teach them sense of emergency, uplift confidence and sharpen decision making skills. Both views have merits, however, I believe children should be provided with different model of learning according to their age to feed the all-rounded learning and development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—group activities versus independent play—and clearly states the writer's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others, which places the response in this band category. For instance, the arguments regarding team activities and cognitive skills are introduced well, but the supporting examples remain somewhat generalised and lack specific depth. Similarly, the points about independent activities in Japan are introduced but not fully expanded to contrast strongly with the first perspective. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to extend and support all main ideas with more detailed elaboration and concrete examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from the introduction, through the two body paragraphs discussing opposing views, to a thoughtful conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate each main idea. Cohesion is present through devices like 'On the other hand', 'In conclusion', and 'For instance', but referencing and transitions can occasionally feel mechanical or slightly faulty, such as the abrupt start of sentences in the second body paragraph. Additionally, referencing is occasionally repetitive, which prevents the essay from achieving a fully seamless flow. To improve, the writer should integrate cohesive devices more naturally and ensure smoother transitions between sentences within paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'cognitive skills', 'foundational need', and 'self-esteem'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'partcipate', 'priortise', and awkward phrasing like 'maintaining their house' and 'sense of emergency'. These lexical errors and awkward collocations do not heavily impede communication, but they restrict the score to this band. To achieve a higher lexical band, the writer should focus on expanding precise vocabulary usage, refining word forms, and eliminating spelling mistakes through careful proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct compound and complex clauses like 'This essay will discuss both perspectives before explaining why I believe that balanced approach...'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('balanced approach', 'list of playful activities'), awkward phrasing in complex structures ('children catches', 'parents supports'), and punctuation slip-ups like missing spaces after periods. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear. To move to the next level, the writer should aim for a higher proportion of error-free complex sentences and tighten control over subject-verb agreement and article usage.

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