Education · Two-part direct question · Band 7
What Age Should Kids Learn a Second Language?
The question, a model answer written to the band 7 descriptors, why it scores that band against the 4 official criteria, topic vocabulary, and a common mistake to avoid.
Two-part direct question
At what age should children begin learning a foreign language, and what is the best way for them to learn it? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
Model answer (band 7)
Written to the band 7 descriptors, not by a real examiner. Read it for structure and language, then write your own in your own words. Examiners can tell a memorised essay from an original one.
Language learning is one area where starting early appears to offer a genuine, lasting advantage, and I believe children should be introduced to a foreign language from around the age of five or six, well before most formal academic subjects begin.
The case for an early start rests on how the developing brain processes sound. Young children can distinguish and reproduce unfamiliar phonemes with a flexibility that declines noticeably after puberty, which is why adult learners so often retain a strong accent even after years of study. A five-year-old exposed regularly to a second language tends to acquire natural pronunciation almost by absorption, without the self-consciousness that makes older learners hesitant to speak. Early exposure also normalises bilingualism as simply part of life rather than an academic subject to be mastered, which keeps motivation high.
As for method, immersion through enjoyable, low-pressure activities works far better than formal grammar instruction at this age. Songs, picture books, simple games and cartoons in the target language let children absorb vocabulary and sentence patterns naturally, the way they acquire their first language. Formal grammar rules mean little to a six-year-old and can make the process feel like schoolwork rather than play, which risks killing enthusiasm before real fluency develops. Ideally, this immersion should be paired with consistent, short daily exposure rather than occasional long lessons, since frequency matters more than duration for building a new sound system.
In summary, starting around age five and relying on playful immersion rather than grammar drills gives children the best chance of acquiring a second language naturally and confidently.
Why this answer scores band 7
Mapped to the 4 official IELTS Writing criteria.
- Task Response: both parts of the question (when to start, how to learn) are answered explicitly and given roughly equal, well-developed space.
- Coherence and Cohesion: the essay is organised by question part, with a clear topic sentence opening each body paragraph and consistent referencing throughout.
- Lexical Resource: accurate, specific vocabulary ('phonemes', 'immersion', 'sound system') used appropriately for an educational topic without sounding memorised.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a wide range of structures including comparatives and reduced clauses, with very few, if any, grammatical errors.
Useful vocabulary & collocations
Phrases used in the model answer that lift Lexical Resource naturally.
Common mistake on this type of question
Write your own answer and get it scored
IELTS9's AI examiner scores your own essay against the same 4 criteria shown above, Task Response, Coherence and Cohesion, Lexical Resource, and Grammatical Range and Accuracy, with corrections and an improved version.
Score my essay →