Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-08-30

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)

Majority of the people believe that formal learning become the main focus of the primary schools. In my opinion, Play is also most important for children with the learning, a balance should be maintained in every primary classrooms.

The primary reason of focusing too much on traditional learning is to get the higher score in the exam. If children spend most of their time in play it could have impact on their grades. For example, my nephew plays video games while his exams were in next week. Although he managed good grades in his class but what if he fails? So, both play time and studies should be managed equally. Hence, It must be supervised by the parents.

Another reason in the support of children to play in the primary school classroom is to improve their self development and social skills. For instance, children who had not played in their primary class with formal class are low confidence in their future. They could not interact with different kind of personalities in daily life. Abilities such as social interaction, practical knowledge, sports played an important role in every society. Since they had not experienced any physical activities at their primary class, they might have struggle in their upper classroom or in practical life. Accordingly, play build children's confidence and make them better in their future.

In conclusion, even though some people argues for formal learning in the primary classroom. I strongly believe that both should be balanced and supervised to make children more confident and successful in their future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the extent of agreement regarding formal learning and the importance of play. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example regarding the nephew playing video games is not entirely relevant to the classroom context, and the argument about social skills could be more deeply explored with more specific examples. While the response covers all requirements, the supporting points lack the depth and sophistication expected at higher bands.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'In conclusion', and 'Another reason', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Another reason in the support of children'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the connection between the nephew's video games and classroom formal learning is tenuous. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the main points.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their opinions clearly. There are some attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'formal learning', 'social skills', and 'practical knowledge'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'in the support of' instead of 'in support of' and 'low confidence' instead of 'lack of confidence'. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('formal learning become', 'some people argues'), article misuse ('in the primary class'), and tense inconsistencies ('while his exams were in next week'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent and demonstrate a lack of control over more complex structures. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve the score.

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

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