Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-17

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)

Many individuals advocates that primary schools only focuses on academic criteria. In my opinion, I totally agree with this statement, however I believe that playing and learning both are crutial for their proper development along with extra curriculam activities are also pivotal for their social well-being.

Although primary schools only focuses on pupils academic performances, it should also endeavour to focus on other indoor and outdoor games. If a children have some time to play, it will help them to enhance their productivity which will be good for their education perpose. There are numerous types of games such as solving puzzles, running, football, cricket, chees and so on, these games helps them to develop their thinking, makes them more confident about themselves. In spite of pain, running games, cricket and football games will help them to boost their metabolisum.

Additionally, The school authorities also should teach students to become humble in their social life which will aid them to be a good person. For making them good human being, they need to engage them with good works such as ask them to clean their classroom once every week, give water to the plants, ask them to help the poor and helpless person. Primary schools also should organize extra classes, for example dancing, drawing, singing, acting and many others. It not only help them to acknoledge their hoobies, but also supports them to recognize their talents. When the school will arrange those things, it will help students to feel refresh, healthy and sound.

In conclusion, it is clear that education is the most vital thing along with primary school should focus on students play time, extra curriculum activities and social work for their betterment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the extent of agreement regarding the focus on formal learning and the importance of play. The position is clear from the introduction. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the suggestion to 'clean the classroom' or 'give water to plants' as a means to become a 'good person' is a bit simplistic and lacks a deeper connection to the educational philosophy requested. While the response covers all parts of the task, the arguments could be more sophisticated and better supported with more academic reasoning rather than just listing activities.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally weak (e.g., 'When the school will arrange those things'). The transition between the idea of physical play and social development is a bit abrupt. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, but the essay would benefit from a more varied and natural use of linking words to improve the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several spelling errors, such as 'crutial' (crucial), 'curriculam' (curriculum), 'perpose' (purpose), 'chees' (chess), 'metabolisum' (metabolism), 'acknoledge' (acknowledge), and 'hoobies' (hobbies). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'academic performances' and 'extra-curricular activities', the range is limited, and the repeated errors in basic spelling and word choice prevent the response from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Subject-verb agreement is a recurring issue, such as 'Many individuals advocates' and 'primary schools only focuses'. There are also errors in article usage and sentence construction, such as 'If a children have' and 'It not only help them'. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation indicate a lack of control over more complex structures, keeping the score in the mid-range.

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

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