Writing Task 2: Opinion (Agree/Disagree) Essay: Question 10
Syllabus W.task2
Parents today allow their children far too much personal freedom, and young people should be required to follow much stricter rules at home.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
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Worked solution
Examiner notes
Task Response
The essay commits immediately to disagreement and answers the specific mechanism proposed in the prompt (stricter rules) rather than the topic in general, offering a clear alternative (guided independence) instead of a vague rejection. Both body paragraphs develop a distinct, fully explained reason with its own illustrative example (money management skills; the effect of rule negotiation on rebellion), and the conclusion synthesises both into a single, coherent recommendation rather than introducing new material.
Coherence & Cohesion
Paragraphs are linked through clear signposting (“One reason…”, “A further consideration…”, “For these reasons…”) and internal cohesion is achieved through referencing back to ideas just introduced (“this skill”, “this directly”) rather than repeating full phrases. The essay moves logically from decision-making skills to relationship quality, and the conclusion draws an explicit connective thread between both.
Lexical Resource
The essay uses precise, natural vocabulary around the topic (“rule-based control”, “age-appropriate freedom”, “arbitrary”, “voluntarily”) and avoids repeating “rules” and “freedom” mechanically by varying phrasing (restriction, boundary, independence, autonomy implied through context). Collocations are idiomatic and used with control rather than for decorative effect.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
A wide range of grammatical structures is used accurately: a defining relative clause with an embedded finite clause (“Adolescents who feel that restrictions are arbitrary…”), parallel comparative structures (“whereas those who… are considerably more likely to…”), and a colon introducing supporting detail in the final example. Sentences vary in length and structure throughout, with no repeated pattern and no grammatical error.