Nowadays, there is much debate about the appropriate age at which children should be allowed to make their own decisions. At what age do you think children should be given this independence? What factors should parents consider when giving children decision-making responsibilities? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Part 1 (Academic)
7.5

Sample Essay with Corrections

In my opinion, lettallowing children to make their own decisions is a very important topic that many parents struggle with. I will explain my thoughts abouton this matter and share some experiences from my life. First of all, I believe children can start making small decisions already froms early as the age of 6 or 7 years old. When I was this age, my parents let me choose what clothes I wanted to wear to school, and it helped me feel more confident. Even though sometimes I made choices that weren't so good, like wearing a t-shirt in cold weather, these experiences helped me learn about the consequences of my decisions. This learning was very valuable for my development. Moreover, as children get older, they should receive more responsibility for their choices. From my experience working at a summer camp, I noticed that teenagers around 13-14 years old are already capable tof decideing many things. They can choose which activities they want to join, who they want to be friends with, and what food they like to eat. But stillHowever, parents still need to watch carefully and give advice when it's necessary. However, it' is also important to remember that every child develops differently. Some children show good judgment earlier than others, while some children need more time to learn how to make good decisions. Parents should look atconsider many factors before giving their children the freedom to decide. These factors include the child's maturity level, their understanding of consequences, and how responsible they are with the current tasks they have. In conclusion, I think parents should start giving children the chance to make decisions from an early age, but do it slowly and carefully. This wayapproach helps children learn important life skills butwhile keepsing them safe at the same time. The most important thing is to find the right balance between freedom and guidance, which will be different for every family.
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Expert Feedback

The essay demonstrates several strengths, including a clear understanding of the topic and the use of personal experiences to support arguments. The vocabulary is appropriate and varied, contributing to the overall quality of the writing. However, there are critical areas for improvement, such as enhancing the clarity of topic sentences and ensuring grammatical accuracy, particularly with articles and awkward constructions. Structural changes were made to improve coherence, such as adding 'the' before 'age' and changing 'capable to decide' to 'capable of deciding.' Further improvements could include providing additional examples to strengthen arguments and varying vocabulary to avoid repetition. The tone used is appropriate for an academic essay, maintaining a formal and reflective style throughout.

Detailed Scores

Coherence And Cohesion
The essay is generally coherent, with a logical progression of ideas. However, some transitions between points could be smoother, and the overall structure could benefit from clearer topic sentences for each paragraph. For instance, explicitly stating the main idea of each paragraph at the beginning would improve clarity.
7.0
Grammatical Range And Accuracy
The essay demonstrates a good range of grammatical structures, with mostly accurate usage. However, there are some grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the age of 6 or 7 years old') and awkward constructions ('capable to decide many things'). These errors do not significantly impede understanding but do prevent a higher score.
7.0
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary used is appropriate and varied, with phrases like 'learning about consequences' and 'good judgment.' However, there are some repetitive phrases, such as 'make decisions' and 'important,' which could be replaced with synonyms to enhance lexical variety. Additionally, minor errors in word choice, such as 't-shirt in cold weather' instead of 'a t-shirt,' slightly detract from the overall quality.
7.5
Task Achievement
The essay addresses the prompt by discussing the appropriate age for children to make decisions and the factors parents should consider. It provides personal examples and reasoning, which enhances the response. However, the argument could be more developed with additional examples or a clearer structure to fully meet the requirements for a higher score.
7.5

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