Band 8 model answer
A model answer written to illustrate a Band 8 response to this question, with the rubric breakdown and what carries it. Written by us as a teaching example, not a verified exam script.
“In some countries, an increasing number of mothers return to work soon after having a child. Is this a positive or negative trend?”8
Overall
8
Task response
8
Coherence & cohesion
8
Lexical resource
8
Grammar
An increasing number of mothers in both developed and developing economies return to employment shortly after giving birth, a trend driven by financial necessity, career ambitions and changing social norms. I regard this as a largely positive development, though one that requires adequate support structures to realise its full benefits.
The advantages for individual women are significant. Remaining connected to the workforce protects mothers from the long-term career and pension penalties associated with extended breaks, which disproportionately affect women and contribute to gender pay gaps. Beyond the financial dimension, many mothers report that maintaining professional roles supports their sense of identity and mental wellbeing, making them more engaged and energised at home as well as at work. Countries such as Sweden and Iceland have demonstrated that generous, well-funded parental leave and subsidised childcare allow mothers to return to work without sacrificing the quality of early child development.
Concerns about children's welfare are understandable and should not be dismissed. Research on infant attachment has historically been used to argue that maternal presence in the first years is uniquely important, though more recent evidence suggests that the quality and consistency of care, rather than whether the caregiver is a parent or a qualified professional, is the decisive factor. High-quality early childhood education can even provide developmental advantages, particularly in language and social skills.
The key condition is that the childcare available is genuinely good. Where affordable, professional childcare is scarce, early returns to work can expose children to inconsistent, poor-quality care, which does represent a real risk.
In conclusion, mothers returning to work early is a positive trend provided that government and employers invest in high-quality, accessible childcare. Without that investment, the benefits of the trend are unevenly distributed and its risks become acute.
- •Conditional positive verdict is nuanced and intellectually honest, avoiding naive cheerleading.
- •Engages directly with the child welfare concern and addresses it with reference to evidence, showing confident handling of a contested topic.
- •Strong gender-pay-gap and pension-penalty framing elevates the argument beyond common responses.
- •Sweden and Iceland cited as concrete evidence that the model can work.
- •The final body paragraph on poor-quality childcare introduces a new risk rather late; integrating it earlier into the discussion of conditions would improve cohesion.
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