Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-05
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people argue that primary schools focus too much on formal learning.
To what extent do you agree with this opinion?
How important do you think it is for children to play as well as learn in the primary school classroom?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
some individuals think that primary schools pay much attention towards formal education. formal education is very much essential, as it helps to unlock hidden potential and make you capable to achieve your goals. in this essay, I will discuss that it is much important to spend most of the time on formal education, but I also believe that there should not be much pressure of studies on kids, they should be given enough time to them, so they refresh their mind.
formal learning is really very essential for kids. kids learn discipline through it, how to take classes in a formal way from a young age. nowadays, there is a strong competition in the world, lot of changes are occurring. to survive in this kind of society, children should have a wide range of knowledge, awareness of present problems and their solutions. education is necessary to get employment and face economic problems, which are increasing day by day. our way of teaching has also been changing; students should adopt that specific way. if a student spends most of its time on the formal education, he would be trained to attend long hour classes in the future. the main thing in development is great developing of the foundation of human. if students spend most of their leisure time in playing and time-wasting activities, they can fac hard challenges in the future.
however, I believe that children should get enough time to play, they should not face much burden on them as it can lead to many cognitive disorders and hurdles in their development. playing develops many skills such as teamwork, communication skills, sportsmanship, determination, resilience. if a kid wins in a particular game, he will get to know how to celebrate it and if a child defeats, he gets to know that defeat is also the part of life not the end of life and how to regain the strength.
in conclusion, i strongly believe that most time should be invested on formal education, but schedule should be designed in such a way that provides children time to refreshes their minds and perform academically and socially well.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the extent of agreement regarding formal learning and the importance of play. The position is clear throughout, advocating for a balance between academic rigor and recreational time. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the benefits of formal education are discussed in terms of future employment and discipline, the argument could be strengthened by providing more specific examples of how primary school curricula might be adjusted. The conclusion effectively synthesizes the two sides of the argument, maintaining a consistent stance. Overall, the response meets the requirements of the task well, though it lacks the depth of analysis required for a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'however', 'in conclusion', and 'if a student', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The use of referencing is generally clear, although there are instances where the flow between sentences could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the discussion of formal learning from the benefits of play, which helps the reader follow the argument easily.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at using less common vocabulary, such as 'resilience', 'cognitive disorders', and 'sportsmanship'. However, there are also instances of awkward phrasing or word choice, such as 'great developing of the foundation of human' and 'time-wasting activities'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the response from reaching a higher band. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to discuss the topic, but it lacks the precision and sophistication required for a band 7 or above.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the' before 'formal education'), subject-verb agreement issues ('if a child defeats'), and punctuation errors (comma splices). For example, 'children should get enough time to play, they should not face much burden' should be two separate sentences or joined by a semicolon. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the errors do not significantly impede communication. A wider range of error-free complex structures would be needed for a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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