Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-13

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 argued by many people that children should be forced to learn formal education at primary level. I strongly disagree with this statement because children have ability to learn more at this stage of life and it also help to build confidence in them, and I believe that it is crucial for the physical and mental development of adolescence to learn and play in the initial stage of school.

One of the main reasons for not just focus on formal learning is that, in the early age when a child starts to go school, he has a strong memory power and remember more things and skills easily. Moreover, they not only focus on educational curriculums but also memorize informal behavior and skills in schools. For instance, scientifically it has been proven that under ten years of age, a child can learn more than five hundred languages because of his memorizing ability.

Secondly, learning new things make the children conscious and it helps to develop confidence. In many educational institutions, there are different events organized for the growth of children, such as sports week, art and music competitions, dramas etc. Furthermore, it also develops to build patience and team work capability in grown ups. For example, children who are participated in different games have more patience and sportsmanship as compared to the other adolescences who just focus to formal education, it is very hard for them to learn new skill to compete in future life.

The different skills make a child more confident and it it also help to make decision and tackle difficult situations in their practical life.

In conclusion, although formal education is important for children to get advance degree in future, I believe that extra curriculum activities help to enhance children's ability to tackle situation nicely in practical life.

AI examiner evaluation

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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The example regarding children learning 'five hundred languages' is factually questionable and hyperbolic, which weakens the argument's credibility. While the points about confidence and teamwork are relevant, they are not fully extended with specific, logical reasoning. The response stays on topic, but the depth of analysis is limited, preventing it from reaching a higher band. To improve, ensure that examples are realistic and that each point is logically connected to the core argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition into the third paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, although there are minor issues with pronoun usage (e.g., 'it also help to build'). The progression of ideas is logical, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to achieve a more natural, academic tone. Overall, the structure is sufficient to follow the writer's argument without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinions clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'educational curriculums', 'sportsmanship', and 'practical life'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'memory power' (should be 'memory') and 'grown ups' (which is informal and contextually incorrect for primary school children). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Expanding the range of synonyms and focusing on more natural collocations would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('it also help', 'learning new things make') and incorrect verb forms ('children who are participated'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there are some minor slips. While the errors are frequent, they rarely impede communication, meaning the reader can still understand the intended message. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate more consistent control over complex structures and reduce the frequency of basic grammatical slips, particularly regarding verb tenses and pluralization.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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