Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-07
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)
It is an ongoing debate that the many people often believe that elimentory shool should more concentration on acedemic subjects rather than playing. Even though I think formal learning is crusial for scholar, I agree that playing with learning is equally pivotal for children's growth. In this essay, I will discuss both approaches with suitable examples.
The most compelling merits is that it is beneficial for their further studies. In simple words, primary schools must paying more attention on curriculums as it will useful for pupils in their next studies . The learning things such as writting, reading, speaking and math's from primary shcool which is base of secondary school. Like, when pupils learn well maths subjects from their primary school which will improve their solving capacity in the math's formula in their secondary school.
On the other hand, plaing games along with learning it is important to holistic developments as during playing they enhance social intractions, physical well-being and boomed creativity as well. Additionally, children learn easily and remember very well which they learn while playing games. To example, many mentor teach mathematics equations while playing outdoor activities.
Conclusively, I would like to infer that school should focus on formal study as it is stage where teenagers learn basic things however, playing promote their overall development. School have to maintain balance between learning and playing.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, acknowledging the importance of formal learning while arguing for the necessity of play. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. Ideas are introduced but not fully extended; for example, the point about 'holistic development' is mentioned but lacks detailed explanation or specific, well-integrated examples. The position is clear, but the brevity prevents a more nuanced exploration of the topic, leading to a somewhat superficial treatment of the arguments.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices such as 'On the other hand', 'Additionally', and 'Conclusively' are used to link ideas. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'To example' instead of 'For example'. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences is occasionally interrupted by grammatical errors, which makes the progression of ideas feel slightly disjointed at times.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. There are frequent spelling errors, such as 'elimentory', 'shool', 'crusial', 'writting', and 'plaing'. These errors, while not always impeding communication, are noticeable. The student attempts to use academic vocabulary like 'holistic developments' and 'compelling merits', but the collocation is often imprecise, such as 'boomed creativity' or 'must paying more attention'. A wider range of vocabulary and more accurate spelling are required to reach a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay relies on a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('schools must paying', 'school have to maintain'), missing articles, and incorrect word forms ('maths subjects', 'learning things'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the text from demonstrating consistent control. More attention to proofreading and fundamental grammar rules is necessary to improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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