EducationOpinion (Agree / Disagree)
IELTS Essay: Should Homework Be Abolished? (Band 9 vs 6.5)
In short
Below is a full Band 9 model answer to this IELTS Writing Task 2 question, the same question written at Band 6.5, and a criterion-by-criterion breakdown of exactly what separates them — so you can see what to change in your own writing. Then check your essay with the free tool.
The question
Some people believe that homework should be abolished for primary school children because it places unnecessary pressure on them. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
How to approach a Opinion (Agree / Disagree) question
For an agree/disagree question, decide your position before you write and make it unmistakable in the introduction. You can fully agree, fully disagree, or partially agree — all are fine — but you must then defend that single position consistently across both body paragraphs. The most common Task Response error here is sitting on the fence: giving arguments for both sides without ever committing to a view.
The plan
- 01Introduction: paraphrase the abolition argument and state a partial position — heavy homework should go, but short purposeful tasks should stay.
- 02Body 1: agree that excessive homework harms young children — stress, lost play, family conflict, little proven academic gain.
- 03Body 2: argue that abolition goes too far — brief reading and practice tasks build habits and let parents see what is studied.
- 04Conclusion: restate the balanced position — cap and redesign homework rather than abolish it.
Band 9 model answer
Whether children in primary school should be given homework at all has become a surprisingly heated question. I agree that the heavy, repetitive assignments many young children currently receive do more harm than good, but I stop short of supporting outright abolition: brief, well-designed tasks still serve a purpose.
The case against homework at this age is strong. Children of six or seven have already spent a full day concentrating, and the evidence that further written work improves their attainment is remarkably thin. What extra assignments demonstrably do produce is stress: evenings become battlegrounds between tired parents and reluctant children, and the free play through which young minds actually develop — imagination, negotiation, physical confidence — is squeezed out. If homework delivers little measurable benefit at a genuine emotional cost, insisting on it seems perverse.
Abolition, however, is the wrong remedy for bad design. Ten minutes of reading with a parent, or a handful of practice sums, imposes no meaningful pressure yet quietly builds the habit of independent study that secondary school will demand. Such tasks also open a window into the classroom: a parent who hears their child read each evening knows precisely where they are struggling, long before a report card says so. The sensible reform is therefore a strict cap on quantity and a shift towards short, purposeful tasks — not an empty schoolbag.
In conclusion, I largely sympathise with the critics: the volume of homework primary children receive should be cut sharply. But because small daily tasks foster study habits and keep parents involved, abolishing homework entirely would discard the good along with the bad.
The same question at Band 6.5
Nowadays, some people think that primary school children should not have any homework because it gives them too much pressure. I disagree with this idea, because I think homework is important for children, but it should not be too much.
Firstly, homework helps children to remember what they learned in the school. If they only listen in the class and do nothing at home, they will forget the lesson quickly. When they do exercises at home, the knowledge become stronger in their mind. Also, homework teaches children to be responsible. They learn to finish their work on time, and this habit is very useful when they grow up and go to work.
Secondly, homework helps the parents to know about their children study. When parents check the homework, they can see if their child is good at maths or reading, and they can help them if they have problem. Without homework, parents do not know anything about the school.
However, I agree that too much homework is bad for small children. They need time to play and rest, because playing is also important for children. If they do homework for many hours every day, they will feel stress and maybe they will hate studying. So teachers should give a small amount of homework, for example thirty minutes per day.
In conclusion, I disagree that homework should be abolished for primary school children. Homework has many benefits like remembering lessons and making good habits, but schools should make sure it is not too much for the children.
What separates them, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Band 9 | Band 6.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Task Response | Takes a precise partial position ('cut sharply, but not abolish'), engages directly with the 'pressure' claim in the question and proposes a concrete alternative. | A clear opinion with relevant reasons, but points such as 'homework teaches children to be responsible' are asserted rather than developed, and the pressure argument is handled only briefly. |
| Coherence & Cohesion | Each paragraph advances one stage of the argument, with cohesion carried by meaning ('Abolition, however, is the wrong remedy for bad design'). | Logical order but a five-paragraph list held together by 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'However', with the concession arriving late as a separate block. |
| Lexical Resource | Vivid, precise phrasing: 'evenings become battlegrounds', 'a window into the classroom', 'discard the good along with the bad'. | Communicates clearly but recycles simple words ('important', 'good', 'too much') and produces awkward phrases like 'know about their children study'. |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy | Confident control of complex structures, including conditionals and embedded clauses, with virtually no errors. | Simple sentence patterns dominate; agreement and article errors recur ('the knowledge become stronger', 'if they have problem') without blocking meaning. |
Examiner's note
The Band 9 shows how powerful a partial position can be: it grants the strongest point on the other side, then argues that abolition is the wrong conclusion to draw from it — a genuinely nuanced Task Response. The Band 6.5 is well organised and relevant, but its reasons stay one sentence deep and its language never rises above the everyday. Note also that a clear position stated in paragraph one, as both essays do, is what keeps either from falling below their band on Task Response.
Vocabulary from the Band 9 answer
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| outright abolition | completely getting rid of something |
| attainment | academic achievement or results |
| to squeeze out | to gradually remove or leave no room for something |
| perverse | unreasonable in a way that goes against good sense |
| the wrong remedy | a solution that does not fit the actual problem |
| independent study | learning that a student manages by themselves |
| a strict cap on | a firm upper limit placed on an amount |
| purposeful tasks | activities designed with a clear, useful goal |
| to foster a habit | to encourage a behaviour to develop over time |
Frequently asked questions
Is it acceptable to partly agree in an agree/disagree essay?
Yes — a partial position is often the strongest choice, as long as it is precise. Say exactly what you agree with and what you reject (here: 'cut homework sharply, but do not abolish it') and keep that line consistent through both body paragraphs and the conclusion.
Can I write five paragraphs instead of four?
You can, and the Band 6.5 model does, but it is riskier under time pressure: five paragraphs invite thin, one-idea blocks. Most Band 8+ answers develop two substantial body paragraphs deeply rather than spreading ideas across three.
Do I need statistics or research to support my points?
No. Examiners do not check facts, and invented statistics impress nobody. Plausible reasoning and everyday examples — a tired child, a parent hearing their child read — support an argument just as well and are safer.