Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-14

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 6.0)

Primary schools contribute to the holistic development of a child. While some people might say that primary school entirely focuses on formal learning, I do not agree with this. Most of the school's philosophy are made in a way that it will contribute to a child's pedagogical development.

Its extremely crucial for a child to experience age specific play based learning. It caters to the development of various skills, like - fine motor skill, gross motor skill,creative and critical thinking skill. When a children play, they not only engage in games but also learn how to solve problem by themselves. Along with this, playing in the primary school classroom also help to take care of the social well being of the children. Learners get to mingle with each other, make new friendship and begin to understand about different relationships which leads to the better physiological, social and emotional development too.

In primary school classroom, learning can also happen through experiential learning or hands on learning. These often include gamification. Being an educator for several years, I firmly believe, children at primary school level learn a lot through structured play. To give a reference, my approach to teach cardinal and ordinal number has always been by conducting running race. Play based learning also stir the curiosity and interest among the kids. Various topic can be taught using play and it helps them to explore around themselves.

Formal learning doesn't ignite the curiosity like play based learning as to students it can appear as monotonous. Play provides them experience and through that children learn the most.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the extent of agreement regarding formal learning and the importance of play. You clearly state your position and support it with relevant personal experience as an educator. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you mention fine motor skills and social well-being, the arguments could be more thoroughly extended with deeper analysis of why formal learning is perceived as 'too much' and how exactly play balances this. The response is just over the minimum length, and further elaboration on the long-term benefits of play would have strengthened the overall argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central focus, moving from the benefits of play to the practical application of experiential learning. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'Along with this' and 'To give a reference,' which help the flow. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be more balanced. The connection between sentences is generally clear, but the use of referencing could be more sophisticated to improve the overall cohesion of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'holistic development,' 'pedagogical,' 'gamification,' and 'experiential learning.' There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'understand about different relationships' (should be 'understand different relationships') and 'explore around themselves' (should be 'explore their surroundings'). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the precision is occasionally lacking. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but it does not consistently reach the level of flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that persist throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'Most of the school's philosophy are' (should be 'is'), 'When a children play' (should be 'When children play'), and 'Various topic can be taught' (should be 'Various topics'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation errors, such as the unnecessary hyphen in 'play based' and the spacing around the comma in the list of skills. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.

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

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