Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-14

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)

Many people believe that primary schools focus too much on formal learning. I firmly agree with the view,

schools should focus on children development, encourage childrens to participate in events and allow them to have playful learning environment.

It is very crucial for the schools give more importance to the child growth and development than the educational learning. Primary school is the step for childrens to have exposure for new things, for instance, most of the childrens are shy and scared in the primary schools so it is better foe them to have a playful environment where they can paly and learn new things.

Furthermore, many schools should create a environment where children feel free to be and wants to learn new things. activities such as sports, arts and music should be presented to the childerns so that they can get to know about their perspectives about what they like or dislike. For instance, children learn quickly if they are in the interactive or a playful enviroment rather then in a strict learning environment.

Schools are not just a learning hud but it is a place where childrens can learn, play and make new friends, education should not be just in reading books, it should be a place to know about the personal development and etiquettes such as behaviour, honesty, loyalty, respect or elders and love and kindness. educational institutes should teach childrens about the life lessons and the basic manners.

To conclude, people argues that schools sholud not focus too much on formal learnings, and in my view i agree with the statement that primary schools should focus on behavioural growth not just educational

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by expressing a clear agreement with the premise that primary schools focus too much on formal learning, and by discussing the importance of play alongside education. The position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the ideas lack full development and depth, often relying on repetition rather than substantial expansion. For instance, the discussion on social development and manners in paragraph four touches upon relevant points such as 'behaviour, honesty, loyalty, respect', but these points are listed rather than extended with specific, well-supported examples. Consequently, the response fits the Band 6 descriptor, as it addresses all parts of the task, but some ideas remain somewhat repetitive and under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance introduced in the beginning and restated in the conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct points, such as the transition to school environments and the role of life lessons. However, cohesion is frequently faulty and mechanical. The student relies on repetitive transition phrases like 'For instance' and basic connectors like 'furthermore'. Additionally, referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'It is very crucial for the schools give more importance', where grammatical omissions disrupt smooth progression. There is also an over-reliance on simple cohesive ties, leading to a choppy flow. Therefore, a Band 5.0 is appropriate due to inadequate and repetitive cohesive devices.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic ideas about education and play. However, there are numerous lexical errors and instances of incorrect word forms, such as 'childrens' (used multiple times instead of children), 'paly' instead of play, 'learning hud' instead of hub, and 'foe' instead of for. While the student attempts less common vocabulary like 'perspectives', 'interactive', and 'development', the persistent spelling and word-formation errors, alongside unnatural collocations like 'educational learning', place the lexical performance firmly at Band 5.0, where noticeable errors cause some distraction for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, demonstrated in sentences such as 'Primary school is the step for childrens to have exposure for new things...'. However, grammatical control is weak, with frequent errors in punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and missing prepositions or infinitive markers (e.g., 'it is very crucial for the schools give' instead of 'for the schools to give', 'people argues' instead of people argue, and 'respect or elders' instead of respect for elders). Run-on sentences and comma splices also appear, such as in the final conclusion sentence. These recurring errors can occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, aligning the grammar with a Band 5.0 level.

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

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