Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-15

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)

A lot of people are of the opinion that primary schools give more importance to formal learning.

I am of the view that this statement might have been true in the past, however in the recent years, there has been a change to that. Most of the primary schools nowadays encourage physical activities and entertainment as much as formal learning. From my perspective, it is very important for children to play while learning in the school. If a kid were to focus only on formal education they might burn out and get depressed. It is very important to maintain a healthy balance between learning and activities for the kids to be both smart and active. While formal learning gives you more worldly knowledge, physical activities keep your brain engaged, increases your focus and builds your physical strength which is equally important for young kids.

If a child is constantly under high pressure of learning and memorising, and has no other activity, he will eventually get overwhelmed and might even lose interest in learning completely. They need calm environment where they can learn and grow at their own pace. If they are constantly encouraged, motivated, and have some free time to play as a reward for learning, they will find it more exciting and will be more willing to learn by themselves.

To sum up, I believe that while the value of formal learning cannot be denied, it is equally important for kids to have physical activities in primary schools as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, expressing a clear position regarding formal learning in primary schools and discussing the importance of play alongside study. The student makes valid points, such as avoiding student burnout and maintaining a healthy balance between mental and physical activities. However, the ideas are somewhat generalized and lack fully developed specific examples from the writer's own knowledge or experience. For instance, mentioning personal school experiences or specific psychological studies would have strengthened the argumentation. Despite these minor limitations, all parts of the task are covered relevantly, meeting the expectations for a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Ideas are generally grouped logically, moving from the general shift in modern primary schools to the negative consequences of over-studying, and finally to the psychological benefits of play. However, paragraphing could be improved; the body of the essay forms one large block of text that would benefit from being broken down into two distinct paragraphs (one discussing burnout and the other discussing the benefits of play). Cohesive devices are used, though referencing is occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'If' clauses and pronouns like 'they' and 'kids'. Overall organisation is adequate, aligning well with Band 6.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their thoughts clearly. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'burn out', 'worldly knowledge', 'overwhelmed', and 'psychological balance', which demonstrates an effort to expand lexical range. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'give more importance' instead of 'place more emphasis', and slight informality in terms like 'kid' compared to 'child'. Spelling is accurate throughout the text. The range is sufficient for some flexibility, but vocabulary errors prevent it from reaching a higher band, placing it comfortably at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional structures successfully, as seen in 'If a child is constantly under high pressure of learning... he will eventually get overwhelmed.' There are, however, several grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as missing commas after introductory phrases ('To sum up', 'In the recent years'), minor article issues ('in the recent years' should be 'in recent years'), and pronoun-noun agreement slips ('a kid... they'). Despite these errors, meaning is rarely impeded, and the sentence structures are reasonably varied, supporting a Band 6.0 score for grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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