Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-02

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)

Some people believe that primary schools focus deeply in formal learning. I largely support this point because I think that for young children playing is as much important as we think that formal learning is, usually it focuses on child mental as well as physical growth by playing and making quick decisions among their friends.

Primarily, the schools should not force children to just learn and improve their grades. We should not put young students into score race, because at that stage of life balanced work is necessary. If child only focuses on formal learning it may develop its understanding and learning skills but it will not support him/her into its physical and social life. We should adopt such practices that ensure the both physical and mental growth of children. By allowing them to participate into games as well as test quizzes.

Secondly, we must know that formal education is not helpful for children in their early stages like when they are in primary school. For example, if a child only focuses on learning then how should he gain the practical experience of how team work happens? How to polish our communication skills in a group? How one becomes physically fit without participating in the outdoor games like cricket, handball or football? So these are the some of pros for playing importance aligning with their formal way of learning. Which children cannot achieve just by focusing on their routine indoor learning method.

Based on the arguments discussed, I believe that primary schools should maintain the balance between formal education and play. To improve the learning abilities of children in all aspects lie socially, physically, mentally and emotinally also.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: it expresses a clear position on the focus of primary schools and discusses the importance of play. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of social skills and physical health. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument that formal education is 'not helpful' in early stages is an over-generalisation that lacks nuance. While the position is clear throughout, the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and contains grammatical fragments, which slightly detracts from the overall task fulfilment.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central focus. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'So these are the some of pros for playing importance'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, for example, the use of 'its' when referring to a child. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to create a more natural, sophisticated connection between ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'formal learning' and 'practical experience', but the range remains somewhat limited. There are also instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'score race' instead of 'academic competition' or 'academic pressure', and 'emotinally' which is a spelling error. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensuring accurate spelling of key terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement, article usage, and sentence fragments. For example, 'playing is as much important as we think' should be 'as important as', and 'ensure the both physical and mental growth' contains an unnecessary article. The final sentence is a fragment rather than a complete sentence. These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.

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.