Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay on Parental Influence: Clarity and Vocabulary Issues
Sample Answer with Feedback

📅 Published Apr 2026⏱️ 40 minutes recommended📝 382 words · Band 5.5
This Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 essay discusses parental influence on children, addressing both positive and negative aspects. However, clarity and vocabulary limitations hinder its effectiveness. Improve your writing by understanding these key issues.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question

Agree/ Disagree (Opinion) · Children · 40 min


Parents serve as the best teachers for their children. Do you agree or disagree? Discuss the reasons for your stance and support it with examples.

Write at least 250 words.



5.5Band

Overall Band Score

382 words · Agree/ Disagree (Opinion) · AI Evaluated

6
Task Response
5
Grammar
5
Vocabulary
5.5
Coherence

Score Breakdown

IELTS Writing Band Scores (1–9)

Overall Band Score
5.5
Task Response
6
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
5
Lexical Resource (Vocabulary)
5
Coherence & Cohesion
5.5

Summary: The essay addresses the task and takes a clear stance agreeing that parents are the best teachers. It discusses both positive and negative influences, with some relevant examples. However, the development is limited, and the conclusion is weak. Significant errors in vocabulary and grammar reduce clarity and impact. The essay meets the minimum word count (382 words).

Now write your own — and see how your verdict holds up.

Submit your Children essay and receive AI scores across Task Response, Coherence, Lexical Resource, and Grammar — plus a Band 9 model answer for your exact question.

Student Answer
Real submission • 382 words • Annotated
382 wordsBand 5.5WritingPart2
● Spelling● Grammar● Vocabulary

Parents are the most ifluential figure of children's lives. This essay will demonstrate how parents can influence their children both positively and negatively before explaining why I believe parents serve as the best teachers of their children.
Children spend most of their time with their parents specially with their mothers and they learn how to talk and behave from her. Parents action directly affect their children and they follow whatever their parents deed. children's brain adopt and learn activities quickly and according to biology, most of the development of brains take place of a children's first five years. So, whatever parents tecah them during this time, leave an impact on their future. So, if parents teach them honesty, then there is a possibility that their personality will include honesty. So, parents can teach them various important ethics such as honesty, punctuality, leadership and empathy. These are all important human behaviour which can affect children's future. For example, if a children learn leadership from an early age, then he will be confident enough to make complex decision which can help him to acheive his goal easily. Furthermore, parents action can also influence their children so if parents continuously perform good action then that can also influence their children.
In contrast, childrens learn many detrimental behaviour from their parents as well. Even the weird personalities of elders can affect them indirectly. Since children love to mimicry they often follow the deeds of elders without knowing the drawbacks. For example, many parents become surprised when they learn their children's using swear words but report shows toodlers learn these bad words from their parents becuase when their parents used these words children's brain cpatured it.
From my point view, parents play the most important role of children's lives. Their every action and word is followed by their children so if they behave well in front of their children then their children will automatically leran these behavior. Other than that they can also teach their children between right and wrong which can help their children to choose the right actions. Therefore, a parent can influence a children to become a good human.
In conclusion, parents should teach thier children ethical values because there is a possibility that it will help their children to become a generous person.

AI Feedback Report Details

Spelling · Grammar · Vocabulary · Criteria Analysis

Spelling Mistakes

12 errors
Misspelled WordCorrected Word
ifluentialinfluential
speciallyespecially
tecahteach
acheiveachieve
childrenschildren
toodlerstoddlers
becuasebecause
cpaturedcaptured
leranlearn
thiertheir
deeddo
mimicrymimic

Grammatical Mistakes

17 errors
MistakeCorrectionExplanation
the most ifluential figurethe most influential figuresSubject-verb agreement: 'parents' is plural, so 'figure' should be plural.
from herfrom themPronoun agreement: 'mothers' is plural, so use 'them' instead of 'her'.
Parents action directly affectParents' actions directly affectPossessive and subject-verb agreement: add apostrophe and pluralize 'actions' to match plural subject.
children's brain adoptchildren's brains adoptNoun number: 'brain' should be plural since it refers to multiple children.
take place of a children's first five yearstakes place in a child's first five yearsPreposition and number agreement: 'take place of' is incorrect; use 'takes place in' and 'a child's' since 'children's' is plural.
whatever parents tecah them ... leave an impactwhatever parents teach them ... leaves an impactSubject-verb agreement: the noun clause 'whatever parents teach them' is singular, so verb should be 'leaves'.
a children learna child learnsArticle-noun agreement: 'children' is plural, so use 'a child' for singular.
make complex decisionmake complex decisionsNoun number: 'decisions' should be plural because it refers to multiple decisions.
learn their children's using swear wordslearn that their children are using swear wordsIncorrect clause structure: needs a subordinate clause with 'that' and correct verb form.
children's brain cpatured itchildren's brains capture themNoun number and pronoun agreement: 'brains' plural, 'capture' present tense, 'them' refers to words.
From my point viewFrom my point of viewMissing preposition: add 'of' to complete the phrase.
parents play the most important role of children's livesparents play the most important role in children's livesPreposition error: use 'in' instead of 'of' after 'role'.
Their every action and word is followedTheir every action and word are followedSubject-verb agreement: compound subject 'action and word' is plural, so verb should be 'are'.
these behaviorthis behaviorDemonstrative pronoun agreement: 'behavior' is singular, so use 'this' instead of 'these'.
teach their children between right and wrongteach their children the difference between right and wrongIncomplete phrase: add 'the difference' for clarity.
a parent can influence a childrena parent can influence a childArticle-noun agreement: 'children' is plural, so use 'a child' for singular.
it will help their children to become a generous personthese values will help their children become generous peoplePronoun-antecedent agreement: 'it' does not agree with plural 'values'; also number agreement for 'person'.

Vocabulary Improvements

4 suggestions
Original Word/PhraseImproved Word/PhraseExplanation
adopt and learn activitiesabsorb and learn behaviors'Adopt' is not the right word; 'absorb' better describes how children pick up behaviors.
weird personalitiesunusual personalities'Weird' is informal; 'unusual' is more appropriate for academic writing.
report showsstudies show'Report' is vague; 'studies' is more precise and academic.
good humangood person'Human' is too broad in this context; 'person' is more natural.

Ready to practise? Get instant AI feedback on your verdict.

Submit your Children essay and receive AI scores across all four IELTS criteria — with specific feedback on whether your solutions are specific, realistic, and matched to your problems.

Detailed Criteria Feedback

AI-powered analysis for each scoring criterion

Task Response6
Evaluation
The essay responds to the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. It covers both positive and negative aspects of parental influence and provides a few examples. However, the arguments are not fully developed, and the conclusion is somewhat repetitive and lacks strong supporting evidence.
Examples
Positive influence example: learning leadership from parents. Negative influence example: children picking up swear words. These are relevant but not elaborated.
How to Improve
Extend each point with more specific, real-world examples. Ensure the conclusion strongly restates your position and summarizes key reasons. Avoid simply repeating earlier sentences.
Coherence & Cohesion5.5
Evaluation
The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, logical flow is weak between ideas, and transitions are limited. Some paragraphs jump between points without clear linking.
Examples
The shift from positive to negative influence in the second and third paragraphs is not clearly signaled. Phrases like 'In contrast' help but are underused. The introduction's promise to discuss both sides is not fully carried through.
How to Improve
Use a clearer overall structure: one paragraph for positive, one for negative, one for your view. Add linking words (e.g., 'However', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand'). Ensure each paragraph has a clear topic sentence.
Lexical Resource5
Evaluation
Vocabulary is limited and repetitive (e.g., 'children', 'parents' used excessively). There are attempts at less common words ('empathy', 'punctuality'), but frequent spelling errors and word choices reduce precision.
Examples
Spelling errors: 'ifluential' (influential), 'tecah' (teach), 'acheive' (achieve), 'toodlers' (toddlers), 'cpatured' (captured), 'leran' (learn), 'thier' (their). Incorrect collocation: 'perform good action' (do good deeds).
How to Improve
Expand vocabulary by learning synonyms for 'teach', 'influence', 'child'. Practice correct spelling of common IELTS words. Use a dictionary or thesaurus. Avoid repeating the same nouns; use pronouns or paraphrasing.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy5
Evaluation
Sentences are mostly simple with frequent grammatical errors. Subject-verb agreement, plural/singular noun forms, and article use are inconsistent. Complex sentence attempts are often flawed.
Examples
'Parents action directly affect their children' should be 'Parents' actions directly affect their children'. 'children's brain adopt' should be 'children's brains adopt'. 'many parents become surprised when they learn their children's using swear words' is awkward; better: 'when they learn that their children are using swear words'.
How to Improve
Review basic grammar rules: subject-verb agreement, plurals, possessive apostrophes. Practice writing compound and complex sentences with correct conjunctions. Proofread to catch errors. Focus on using a mix of simple, compound, and complex structures.
💡
Tip: Review the Band 9 model answer to see how a high-scoring essay structures arguments, uses advanced vocabulary, and maintains coherence throughout.

RELATED ESSAYS

01
Living Alone📝 310 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
In some countries, more and more people are opting to live alone these days than before. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?  Write at least 250 words.
People preferred to live alone these days than before is because they are many factors before making a decision to move out. For the present generation, the wo...
02
Living Alone📝 312 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
In some countries, more and more people are opting to live alone these days than before. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?  Write at least 250 words.
Many people hold different opinions regarding living alone.Some people want to live alone as they wanted to spend their lives on their own terms.If they live al...
03
Leisure & Lifestyle📝 272 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
Some people believe that online grocery shopping is more convenient and efficient than visiting physical stores. Others argue that traditional shopping offers better quality control and a more personal experience.Do you agree or disagree?  Write at least 250 words.
It is believed by some individuals that shopping for groceries online is comparatively easier and more efficient as compared to shopping in physical stores. I d...
04
Travel📝 261 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
People nowadays prefer to have adventurous and thrilling activities on their holidays, rather than relaxing in a distant place. Do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.
As we move further into the twenty-first century, it has been observed that due to modernisation and globalisation travelling has become more popular trend in r...
05
Living Alone📝 251 words⏱️ Jul 2026Band 9 Model ✓
In some countries, more and more people are opting to live alone these days than before. Do you think this is a positive or negative development?  Write at least 250 words.
It is often observed in several nations that people are choosing to live in solitude, as compared to the people before. I belived that this a positive developme...