Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-16
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)
Primary school focuses more on formal or rather traditional learning, some people are against that while favouring the concept of playful learning.
More or less this is true that schools especially the primary ones give more importance to traditional teaching. There are a lot of studies which favours that children learns better by practising it, not just by learning. Similarly, there are ways of teaching by playing different games. These two methods are becoming more and more famous these days. But most of the school's are still following the previous curriculum.
Kids today are way more smart and receptive as compared to the kids of the 20th century. This advanced learning capability should be groomed and polished rather than just making the pupils, puppets of formal learning.
Learning from books can never get old or out of tradition, but there is need to update ways of teaching the same syllabus and also implement the modern rather proven styles of learning. Habit of book reading before bed should still and should always stay in fashion beacuse that is the only way of teaching the kids at night without exposing them to screen and disturbing their sleep.
I studied hard for five years of my medical school, but i learned the best during my house job which was only for 1 year. That was though, late in my life, but a very much practical example of learning by doing as compared to cramming all those books.
In conclusion, though traditional ways might have their own benefits but the modern ways will soon take over just not today.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses the two-part prompt by discussing formal learning versus playful learning in primary schools and providing a personal example. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and lacks depth. For instance, the student asserts that 'kids today are way more smart and receptive' but fails to elaborate on how this impacts teaching methods. The position is generally clear, but the argumentation tends to over-generalize without strong supporting evidence. The personal example regarding medical school is somewhat tangential since the prompt specifically asks about primary school classrooms. Consequently, this falls under Band 6, as it addresses all parts of the task but includes under-developed ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement, and the progression of ideas is generally understandable. Paragraphing is used, though some paragraphs are extremely short and consist of single sentences, such as the introduction and conclusion. Cohesive devices are occasionally used ('Similarly', 'In conclusion'), but referencing is sometimes faulty, and transitions between paragraphs feel abrupt. For example, moving from the benefits of book reading directly into a personal anecdote about medical school lacks a smooth logical bridge. Overall, the organizational structure is adequate for a Band 5.5 to 6.0, fitting best at Band 6 due to mechanical and sometimes missing cohesive links.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases like 'traditional teaching' and 'practical example of learning by doing'. However, there are notable word choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'children learns' (grammatical slip affecting lexical accuracy), 'most of the school's are still following', and 'way more smart'. Spelling is generally acceptable, but vocabulary control lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. These minor inaccuracies do not impede overall communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6 descriptor.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some attempt at variety. However, grammatical errors are frequent throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('children learns', 'school's are'), missing articles, and punctuation mistakes, such as 'i learned' with a lowercase 'i'. The sentence structures are sometimes clumsy or fragmented, particularly in the conclusion ('will soon take over just not today'). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they persist across multiple sentences, preventing the essay from achieving a Band 6.5. A score of 5.5 reflects the frequent errors in grammar and mechanics.
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.