Some people think that keeping pets is good for children while others think it is dangerous and unhealthy for them. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion?
Sample Response
Allowing children to have pets has been a topic of debate for many years, with some people arguing that it is highly beneficial for children, while others opineopining that it is detrimental and unhealthy for them. This essay explores both perspectives and gives reasons why keeping pets could be harmful to childrenwhy this could be harmful to children.
Supporters argue thatAccording to some, pets can provide many benefits for children. They can provide companionship and teach compassion. This is particularly true for children who have developmental issues or have working parents with no siblings. For instance, working parents often choose a friendly pet for their children, and this pet acts as a constant companion for themacts as a constant companion for the children. This helps them enjoy their free timeenjoy their time and learn social skills like compassion, sensitivity, and responsibilitycompassion, sensibility and responsibility.
On the other handOn the contrary, allowing pets, according to a group of people, has more harmful effects on young children. They believe that pets can be a distraction from important activities such as homework and studyingstudy. Children may become so focused on playing with or taking care of their pets that they neglect their schoolwork. Additionally, some pets can be dangerous to children, especially if they are not properly trained or supervised. For example, dogs can bite and scratch, and cats can scratch and transmit diseases such as toxoplasmosis. Another reason why keeping pets can be detrimental to children is that they can pose health risksthey can be unhealthy. Pets can carry germs and parasites that can make children sick, especially if the children have weakened immune systemsif they have weakened immune systems. Additionally, some pets can trigger allergies and asthma, which can have serious health consequences.
In conclusion, while keeping pets can provide some benefits for children, it is ultimately a flawed idea due to the potential distractions, dangers, and health risks they pose. Instead, children should be encouraged to engage in other activities that promote responsibility and compassion, such as volunteering or participating in community service.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The response gives a clear opinion and develops the dangers and health risks of pets through specific, relevant examples, while also acknowledging companionship and responsibility. Its main limitation is imbalance: the benefits receive much less development, and a few awkward lexical choices reduce naturalness. The priority is to explain the positive view with comparable depth before weighing both sides and justifying the final preference.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both views and a clear opinion are presented, with detailed support for risks but noticeably less development of the benefits.
Extend the positive case beyond companionship by explaining how caring for a pet builds responsibility, then weigh that benefit against the risks.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are logically sequenced in clearly focused paragraphs, and the movement from benefits to drawbacks and judgment is easy to follow.
Signal the internal progression of the longer drawbacks paragraph more economically so its three concerns remain clearly distinct.
Lexical Resource
A broad, topic-appropriate vocabulary communicates social, behavioral, and health effects, though several choices are awkward or imprecise.
Replace unnatural wording such as "others opining," "sensibility," and "a flawed idea" with more precise academic alternatives.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of sentence forms is used accurately, with only occasional awkward structures and reference issues that do not impede meaning.
Refine introductory participle structures and ensure pronouns such as "they" refer unambiguously to pets or children.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Some people think that keeping pets is good for children while others think it is dangerous and unhealthy for them. Discuss both these views and give your own opinion?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.