Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-22

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)

It is often argued that primary schools focus a lot on formal education, although I believe this is only valid to a certain extent as, they do have some informal teaching practices to help children nurture. It is necessary for children to enjoy and educate themselves well at primary level classes as, they form the base for their future development.

Primary schools involve multiple methods of educating that is not related to standard subjective teaching rather, they also help students learn and adapt manners in the daily life. Perhaps, this not only makes the students intelligent but also enhances their behavioural nature towards life. For example, small children are taught how to make crafty items using small papers, waste materials etc. This will help them understand how to be creative even with little resources available.

Young children have an innocence which can only be supported with the correct methods of learning and making them enjoy their lives. Playing along with their friends and teachers enables them to develop their social capabilities and also instills a sense of healthy competition. For instance, children often play in parks during the evenings which help them interact with their friends and builds them socially. Getting a good grip of the subjects like, mathematics and english, at an early age increases their ability to perform better in future as a solid educational base has been already established.

In conclusion, I believe primary schools are not too focussed on formal learning and also include methods for a child to nurture. This also describes the need for an appropriate playing and learning environment for an overall development of the child.

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. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on 'crafty items' is a good start but lacks depth regarding how this specifically balances formal education. The argument regarding social development is relevant but could be more robustly linked to the classroom environment specifically. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more detailed reasoning or specific, illustrative examples that directly answer the 'how' and 'why' of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'For example', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, there are some instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and the use of commas is occasionally inconsistent, which disrupts the natural progression of ideas. For example, the sentence 'It is often argued that primary schools focus a lot on formal education, although I believe this is only valid to a certain extent as, they do have some informal teaching practices...' contains unnecessary punctuation that hinders readability.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'nurture', 'behavioural nature', and 'social capabilities'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'crafty items' (better: 'craft projects') and 'subjective teaching' (likely meaning 'academic' or 'didactic' teaching). The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. Improving the variety of academic collocations would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly regarding article usage, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. For example, '...as, they do have' and '...subjects like, mathematics and english' show incorrect comma placement. Additionally, '...helps them interact with their friends and builds them socially' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('builds' should be 'build'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.

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

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