Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-23

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that physical education classes are an important part of a child's education. Others believe that it is more important to focus on academics during school time.

Discuss both these views, and give your opinion.

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

While some argue that physical fitness profoundly impacts a child's development, others contend that children should focus solely on their curriculum during childhood. Whereas I always believe in a balanced approach between physical and academic studies.

One major advantage of physical education is that it contributes to pupil's overall well-being and encourages positive development in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. However, regular exercise promotes an increase in dopamine, which indirectly helps them to reduce stress and anxiety caused by academic competition.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under-length at only 80 words, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While the introduction attempts to present both sides and a personal opinion, the body paragraph is too brief to fully develop the arguments. The discussion of physical education is relevant, but the lack of depth and the failure to address the academic-focused perspective in any detail prevents a higher score. To improve, you must expand on your points with specific examples and ensure you cover all parts of the prompt thoroughly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The text is too short to demonstrate a full range of cohesive devices or effective paragraphing. While there is a logical attempt to introduce the topic and provide one supporting point, the progression is cut short. The use of 'However' is appropriate, but the overall structure is underdeveloped. To achieve a higher band, you need to write full paragraphs that use a variety of linking words (e.g., 'furthermore', 'consequently', 'in contrast') to connect ideas smoothly and logically throughout a complete essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally accurate and appropriate for the context, such as 'profoundly impacts', 'well-being', and 'academic competition'. However, the range is limited due to the brevity of the response. There is a minor grammatical error in the first paragraph: 'Whereas I always believe' is a sentence fragment and uses 'whereas' incorrectly as a conjunction for a main clause. To improve, aim to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to education and health to demonstrate a wider lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex structures, such as the use of a relative clause in '...anxiety caused by academic competition'. However, the first paragraph contains a significant error: 'Whereas I always believe in a balanced approach...' is a fragment that does not function as a complete sentence. Additionally, 'pupil's' should be plural ('pupils'') to match the general context. While the errors do not severely impede communication, the limited length restricts the ability to demonstrate a wide range of error-free complex structures.

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