Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-24

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)

I am partially agree with the opinion of some people that, the main focus of primary schools is on formal learning. They dont engage students to play games or in co-curricular activities. Learning as well as playing games both, are essential of kids in primary schools. But unfortunately, many primary schools especially in develping countries keep their focus too much on formal studies only. The little minds of primary schools students cannot bear the huge load of studies. Playing games are also very important for their mental as well as physical health.

In many developing countries, there are plenty of primary schools that merely, too much focus only on high marks. Therefore for the sake of their school's reputaion, the focus too much on formal studies. Normally, they use the technique of cramming to achieve their goal. But the tiny brains of student which are in growing stage cannot bear such a huge workload. As a result, the student get ill. Some students are getting bored from the same cramming activities that usually happened in primary schools.

In my opinion, Its very important for childern to play as well as learn in the school classroom. Because with studies, Playing games are also very essential for childern's mental as well as physical growth. Playing with other fellows as groups improve skills like leadership, confidence and team management in childern. For example,a research showed that, a student who involved in both curricular and co-curricular activities at his primary school can make good decision making and mentally fresh that that student who just focused on formal learning at his school.

In contrast, there are also some primary schools in developing as well as developed countries, that not just focus on studies but also on co-curricular activities. Though that type of primary schools are few in number, but they are doing a good job. Their main concern is student's mental and physical growth. They make them able to take desicions, manage time , manage team. They evaluate the student's performance monthly.

At the end, I would like to say that, we should need to take research on primary schools while getting admission of our kids. Because primary schools plays a vital role in the foundation of childern. Moreover the primary schools should need to focus on formal learning as well as engage students in group games to improve their skills.

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 repetitive, particularly the focus on 'developing countries' and 'cramming'. While the arguments are relevant, they lack depth and specific examples; for instance, the mention of 'a research' is vague and lacks detail. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced arguments that move beyond general statements about academic pressure and explore the pedagogical benefits of play more thoroughly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. There is an attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'In contrast', and 'Moreover'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as starting sentences with 'But' or 'Because' in a way that disrupts the flow. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between ideas could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more variety to avoid a repetitive structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'formal learning', 'primary schools', and 'mental and physical growth'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'the student get ill' or 'we should need to take research'. While the meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items or idiomatic expressions that would demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Playing games are', 'primary schools plays') and article usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several comma splices and missing spaces after punctuation marks. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they are frequent enough to indicate a lack of control over more complex structures. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic agreement errors and refining sentence punctuation.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.