There is an increasing trend around the world of married couples deciding not to have children. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for couples who decide to do this.
Sample Response
An increasing number of married couples around the world choosing to remain childless. The main benefits of not having a child for couples are that they can focus on their careers and have more time for themselves. The main drawbacks are that they could not fit into their peers’ group and have no one to look after them when they get old. One primary advantage of remaining childless for married couples is that they can focus on their work. This is because they have less responsibility and distractions in their lives compared to the couples that have a child. Another advantage of this is that they have more spare time. Looking after a child is a full-time job for parents and taking most of their time, while child-free couples have lots of free time after work. For example, many couples stop going out late with their friends after having a child as they have to stay at home for looking after their children. One disadvantage of couples deciding not to have children is that they can struggle to hang with their peers after most of them have children. Most parents prefer to spend more time with other couples that have children as well. Moreover, do not have anyone to look after them in their elderliness is another disadvantage. Children are the ones who take care of their parents when they get old because their parents did the same for them when they were young. For instance, the vast majority of the people who live in care homes have no child. In conclusion, the main benefits of staying child-free for couples are that they can be more career-oriented and have more free time for themselves, and the main drawbacks are that they could have problems about fitting into their friends’ group and having no one to take care of them when they become older.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use concise phrasing Original: not having a child for couples Suggested revision: remaining childless for couples Why it matters: Remaining childless expresses the intended situation more naturally.
- 2. Use suitable modal Original: could Suggested revision: may Why it matters: May appropriately describes a possible present or future disadvantage.
- 3. Use natural noun Original: peers’ group Suggested revision: peer group Why it matters: Peer group is the standard expression and does not require a possessive form.
- 4. Use plural count nouns Original: less responsibility and distractions Suggested revision: fewer responsibilities and distractions Why it matters: Fewer is required with the plural count nouns responsibilities and distractions.
- 5. Improve comparison Original: compared to the couples that have a child Suggested revision: than couples who have children Why it matters: Than completes the comparison directly, and who is natural for people.
- 6. Clarify reference Original: Another advantage of this Suggested revision: Another advantage of remaining childless Why it matters: Naming the situation removes the vague reference this.
- 7. Fix verb form Original: and taking most of their time Suggested revision: and takes up most of their time Why it matters: The finite verb takes must agree with the singular subject looking after a child.
- 8. Use formal wording Original: lots of free time Suggested revision: considerably more free time Why it matters: The revision uses a more formal expression and makes the comparison explicit.
- 9. Use purpose infinitive Original: for looking after their children Suggested revision: to look after their children Why it matters: Use the infinitive to express the purpose of staying at home.
- 10. Use academic wording Original: hang Suggested revision: socialise Why it matters: Socialise with is more precise and appropriately formal.
- 11. Clarify pronoun reference Original: after most of them have children Suggested revision: once most of their peers have children Why it matters: The explicit noun removes ambiguity about who them refers to.
- 12. Refine relative clause Original: couples that have children as well Suggested revision: couples who also have children Why it matters: Who is natural for people, and also is placed before the main verb.
Suggested Rewrites
- not having a child for couples remaining childless for couples
- could may
- peers’ group peer group
- less responsibility and distractions fewer responsibilities and distractions
- compared to the couples that have a child than couples who have children
- Another advantage of this Another advantage of remaining childless
Why this response received Band 6.5
The response’s strongest feature is its direct coverage of two advantages and two disadvantages, each supported by a clear explanation or example. Its main limitation is weak presentation as one continuous paragraph, compounded by recurring grammatical and collocational errors. The highest-priority improvement is to separate the introduction, advantage, disadvantage, and conclusion sections into logical paragraphs while correcting sentence fragments and verb forms.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response addresses both sides directly and develops each main benefit and drawback with relevant explanation or illustration.
Support the broader claims about social exclusion and care homes with more qualified, convincing reasoning.
Coherence and Cohesion
The sequence of ideas is easy to follow and linking is generally clear, but the complete absence of paragraphing weakens organisation.
Divide the response into distinct introduction, advantages, disadvantages, and conclusion paragraphs to make progression immediately visible.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is sufficiently varied for the topic, although several expressions are awkward or inaccurate.
Replace phrases such as peers’ group, hang with their peers, and in their elderliness with natural academic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
The response uses both simple and complex forms, but fragments and faulty verb patterns occur frequently enough to reduce accuracy.
Correct incomplete or malformed structures such as the opening sentence, taking most of their time, and do not have anyone.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
There is an increasing trend around the world of married couples deciding not to have children. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for couples who decide to do this.
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.