Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-11

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)

In this modern world, many people believe that students in primary schools must participate in extra criculum activites insted of just focusing on formal education. There are large number of schools which majorly focus on academics only during the primary education. To some extent it is not a good thing.

School authoroties say that they focus on academics during the primary school because it will help them build a strong fondation for their higher education and will also help them in their professional life. It will also encourage them to be consistent during their higher education. For example, a student with strong academic background and critial skills is more likely to get accepted by the high ranking universities which will elevate his professional life as well.

On the other hand, critics argue that students must be involved in some other activities like sports, music, debate and several other benifical activities from their primary school. It will help them to ruduce their academic stress and develop recreational skills because all five fingers are not the same. For instance, a student is not good in academeics but he can perform very well in sports or any other activity, he must be encourage to perform that activity in a healthy environment. If schools are unable to provide that environment that student will turn worst in academics as well.

In conclusion, i truly agree that formal education is necessare for every student but educational institutes should not be just strickt to academics. They must provide other facilities to the students that will help them to elevate their productivity and analytical skills. There must be a spare time for such a kind of activities in a school's every day routine and students should be free to chose any kind of activity.

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 argument regarding 'all five fingers are not the same' is a good point but lacks specific, well-developed examples to illustrate how play specifically benefits academic or social outcomes. The response covers all requirements, but the depth of analysis remains at a general level, which prevents it from reaching the higher bands. To improve, you should provide more concrete examples or evidence to support your claims.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a progression of ideas from the importance of academics to the benefits of extracurricular activities. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion', which help the flow. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow, though more sophisticated linking phrases would enhance the flow further.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There are several spelling errors, such as 'criculum', 'insted', 'authoroties', 'fondation', 'critial', 'benifical', 'academeics', 'necessare', 'strickt', and 'chose'. These errors are frequent and occasionally distracting, although they do not impede communication. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on common words rather than more precise or academic terminology. To improve, you should focus on proofreading for spelling and attempt to incorporate more varied, topic-specific vocabulary related to education and child development.

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 frequent grammatical errors, including issues with articles ('a large number of schools'), subject-verb agreement ('a student is not good... he must be encourage'), and word forms ('turn worst'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the frequent grammatical slips prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. The student demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, but the control over these structures is inconsistent. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy and proofreading for common errors would significantly improve the score.

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

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