Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-13

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 6.0)

It is a considerable debate on whether primary schools should only focus on traditional methods of learning or should implement recreational activities in order for students to understand complex structures. In my opinion, I am more inclined towards the addition of including playing activities such as building blocks, demonstration of different life process and sports as well in everyday learning process.

Learning is a continuous process and it develops through different methods. Formal learning was a very integrated part of our education system in the 90s as well as early 20s but with the changing circumstances there was a need for changes in the formal education system. Surely, the methods before were not completely incorrect but it sure does needed modification as the human beings evolved. Life before mobile phones and computers was simple and students had the attention span to understand complex structures.

Nowadays, as the time evolved and everything around us changed in ways the education system had to change for the better ways as well. Through play we can make students understand complex processes and structures really easily which could have been much harder to demonstrate in formal learning methods. Formal learning methods only relied on textbook knowledge but play helps to build a creative mindset and improves imagination powers of a child. It is very much important for children to be indulging in some sort of physical activities as it also reduces the risk of obesity in children. Play has diverse advantages and it outweighs the limited resources that formal learning had to offer.

In conclusion, I do agree that one method cannot facilitate the process of learning but the ideal situation would be to find a middle ground between play and formal education for optimal learning.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt by discussing the balance between formal learning and play in primary schools, and providing a clear personal position throughout. In the introduction, the writer states they are 'more inclined towards the addition of including playing activities' and concludes with a balanced middle ground. Ideas are generally relevant, discussing how play helps understand complex processes and reduces obesity. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed or repetitive, such as the general discussions about how 'time evolved' and human evolution. Despite this, all parts of the prompt are covered well enough to satisfy the criteria for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7 given the clear position and reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement with logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used adequately to separate distinct points, such as the evolution of education and the specific benefits of play. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or faulty. For instance, the transition 'Nowadays, as the time evolved and everything around us changed in ways the education system had to change for the better ways as well' feels repetitive and awkward. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'that formal learning had to offer' referring back to limited resources. Cohesive devices are used, but they lack flexibility in places, placing this securely in the Band 6 territory.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'recreational activities', 'complex structures', and 'creative mindset'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text. For example, 'It is a considerable debate' should be 'There is considerable debate', 'early 20s' likely meant the early 2000s, and 'imagination powers' is non-standard phrasing compared to 'creative powers' or 'imagination'. Additionally, phrases like 'the time evolved' are slightly unnatural. Because these errors do not impede overall communication and demonstrate an attempt to use a wider lexical field, a score of 6.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional ideas. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward structures present. For instance, 'the addition of including playing activities' contains redundant phrasing, and 'it sure does needed modification' contains a tense agreement error ('did need'). Another example is 'children to be indulging in', which could be simplified to 'children to indulge in'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band, they rarely impede communication, aligning with the Band 6 descriptors.

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

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