Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-26

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)

There is a debate among people that schools just focus on teaching students instead of focusing on their active participation in physical activities. I believe that the main purpose of the schools is not to teach them only, their overall development is equally important. Participation of students in sports, speech and other competitions plays an essential role in students overall development.

Initially, some people believe that schools just focus on formal learning instead of working on students overall development. Nowadays, schools motivate students to focus on course subjects instead of conceptual learning. Teachers give them extensive home tasks that take too long to solve. In this way, students do not find free time to participate in other physical activities. For example, entensive assignments are assigned to students for the next day assessment. Students work hard for the next day test and try their best to prepare well for it. From my perspective, the educational institutes should focus on organizing different competitions on the school level like cricket match, speech competitions and other activities. These competitions motivate the students to work hard and also give them a sense of competition which they enjoy a lot. These activities are very essential for the students overall development. Such activities also boost their confidence

I believe that it's very essential for children to play as well as learn in their classrooms. They try their best to do something better infront of their classmates. They feel like there is an competition with their classmates and try their best to beat them. In this environment, they learn different things from each other and try to improve themselves. They learn how to behave and communicate with teachers and fellows. It's beneficial for their development.

In the conclusion, schools try to keep the students attention just on studies instead of sports or other activities. However, the students overall development are crucial. In my opinion, the students should focus on their studies as well as on other activities like playing different physical games that helps to keep them physically fit.

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 throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive; for instance, the argument about 'overall development' is restated multiple times without significant expansion. While the examples of cricket and speech competitions are relevant, the discussion on how these specifically balance formal learning could be more nuanced. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported point rather than circling back to the same general concepts.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Initially', 'For example', and 'In the conclusion', though some transitions feel mechanical or slightly repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, although the connection between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the transition between the discussion of homework and the suggestion for school competitions is a bit abrupt. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow, though the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'conceptual learning' and 'educational institutes'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is noticeable repetition of phrases such as 'overall development' and 'try their best'. Some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'entensive' (spelling error) and 'infront of' (should be two words). To improve, the student should focus on using more varied synonyms and precise collocations to avoid repetitive phrasing and demonstrate a wider lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'the students overall development are crucial' should be 'is crucial') and minor punctuation or spelling slips (e.g., 'there is an competition'). The use of articles and prepositions is occasionally inconsistent. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for basic agreement errors would significantly enhance the quality of the writing.

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