Family & ChildrenOpinion (Agree / Disagree)
IELTS Essay: Family Influence on Children (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 families have less influence on children today than they did in the past. 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 claim and state a clear position - family influence has been diluted, not destroyed.
- 02Body 1: reasons influence has fallen - digital media, competing voices, and fewer hours spent at home.
- 03Body 2: counter-argument - the family still lays down a child's emotional and moral foundations.
- 04Conclusion: restate that the family shapes deeper values even as its surface authority weakens.
Band 9 model answer
It is often argued that the modern family exerts a weaker hold over children than it once did. While parents clearly no longer enjoy the near-total authority they held in previous generations, I would argue that their influence has been diluted rather than genuinely diminished, and remains decisive in a child's early development.
The case for declining influence is not hard to make. Children today are immersed in a digital landscape that their parents rarely control: social media, streaming platforms and online communities shape their tastes, values and even their vocabulary long before the dinner-table conversation can. Where a previous generation absorbed its worldview almost entirely from relatives, today's young people answer to a chorus of competing voices - influencers, peers and algorithms among them. Compulsory schooling and lengthy after-school activities further reduce the sheer number of hours a child spends under a parent's roof.
Yet to conclude that families have been sidelined would be to overstate the case. The emotional bedrock a child develops in infancy - how they handle conflict, whether they feel secure, the moral instincts they take for granted - is still laid down almost exclusively at home. Outside influences may crowd the surface, but they rarely displace these foundations; a teenager may dress like an influencer while retaining the ethical compass instilled by their parents. In this sense, the family's role has shifted from dictating behaviour to anchoring character.
In conclusion, although competing sources of information have unquestionably eroded parental authority over the superficial choices children make, I believe the family continues to shape the deeper values that matter most. Its influence has changed in kind, not simply weakened.
The same question at Band 6.5
Nowadays, some people think that family have less influence on children than in the past. In my opinion, I agree with this idea, because there are many other things that affect children today, for example technology and their friends.
Firstly, one big reason is the technology. Children today spend a lot of time on the internet and social media, so they learn many things from there instead of from their parents. For example, a child can watch a video and copy what they see, even if the parents don't like it. Also, children have mobile phone from very young age, so the parents cannot control everything that they are watching or reading online.
Secondly, friends and school are also very important for children now. Many children go to school for long hours every day, and they spend more time with their friends than with their family. Because of this, they are influenced by their friends behaviour and their opinions. For example, teenagers like to follow the fashion and trends of their friends, and they do not want to be different from the group. In the past, children stayed more at home with parents, so the family was the main influence in their life at that time.
In conclusion, I agree that family have less influence on the children in these days. The technology, the friends and the school are now more important for them. However, I still think that the family is important for teaching good values and manners to the children, so it is not completely finished.
What separates them, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Band 9 | Band 6.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Task Response | Takes a clear, developed line - influence is 'diluted rather than genuinely diminished' - and handles the counter-argument that families still lay the 'emotional bedrock'. | Answers the question and agrees, but the reasons (technology, friends, school) stay general and are not fully explored. |
| Coherence & Cohesion | Ideas build naturally with varied linking ('Yet to conclude...', 'In this sense'); each paragraph advances the argument. | Relies on mechanical signposts ('Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Also') and lists points rather than developing them. |
| Lexical Resource | Precise collocation: 'exerts a weaker hold', 'a chorus of competing voices', 'anchoring character'. | Adequate but repetitive high-frequency words - 'important', 'influence' and 'many things' recur. |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy | Wide range of accurate complex sentences with embedded clauses and dashes used for emphasis. | Mostly simple and compound sentences with errors like 'family have' and 'from very young age' that do not block meaning. |
Examiner's note
The Band 9 answer takes a nuanced but unmistakable position and develops it with precise vocabulary and a wide range of accurate complex sentences, while its cohesion is woven into the argument itself. The Band 6.5 response is relevant and clear, but its ideas remain general, its linking is mechanical, and recurring grammar slips and high-frequency vocabulary hold it at a competent rather than expert level.
Vocabulary from the Band 9 answer
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| exerts a weaker hold over | has less power or control over |
| near-total authority | almost complete power or control |
| diluted rather than genuinely diminished | weakened or spread thin, but not truly reduced |
| immersed in a digital landscape | completely surrounded by online technology |
| a chorus of competing voices | many different sources all trying to influence at once |
| emotional bedrock | the fundamental emotional foundation of a person |
| ethical compass | an inner sense of what is right and wrong |
| anchoring character | providing a stable base for someone's personality |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to completely agree or disagree?
No. You can take a fully one-sided view or a qualified, partial one, as in the Band 9 answer here. What matters is that your position is clear from the introduction and stays consistent throughout.
How long should my Task 2 essay be?
Write at least 250 words; aiming for roughly 260-290 is sensible. Writing far more increases the risk of errors and can waste time you need for checking.
Where should I state my opinion in an opinion essay?
Make your position explicit in the introduction and restate it in the conclusion, and ensure the body paragraphs support it. Never leave the examiner guessing what you think.