Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-17
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 5.0)
In recent years, primary education has increasingly prioritized structured instruction, standard curricula, and formal assessments over unstructured activity. I strongly agree that modern primary schools overemphasize formal learning, and I believe integrating play into the classroom environment is essential for holistic child development.
Excessive reliance on formal learning in early education can impede a child’s creative and social growth. When young students spend the majority of their school hours completing worksheets, taking tests, and listening quietly to lectures, their intrinsic curiosity is often suppressed. While foundational literacy and numeracy are undeniably crucial, rigorous academic pressure applied too early can cause emotional burnout, reduced motivation, and elevated anxiety levels among young children.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0
The student addresses the prompt effectively by clearly stating their position regarding formal learning in primary schools and outlining why play is essential for child development. They successfully tackle both parts of the two-part question within the provided text. However, because the response contains only 111 words, it severely breaches the minimum length requirement of 250 words. As per official guidelines, this under-length condition heavily penalises the task achievement score, as the ideas cannot be fully developed or extended to meet Band 7 or higher descriptors. Consequently, the score reflects this severe limitation despite the clear position and relevant arguments presented in the introduction and first body paragraph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The text demonstrates a clear overarching structure with a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the first body paragraph. The writer introduces the topic and states a firm stance, followed by a well-sequenced paragraph discussing the drawbacks of excessive formal learning. Cohesive devices are used naturally, as seen with phrases like 'While foundational literacy and numeracy are undeniably crucial'. Paragraphing is appropriate for the content presented, though the essay remains incomplete due to the truncation of the response. The logical flow is strong enough to demonstrate control over organizational features, keeping the score aligned with solid structural capability despite the short length.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally appropriate and demonstrates an adequate to good range for academic writing. The student successfully employs terms such as 'prioritized structured instruction', 'intrinsic curiosity', 'foundational literacy and numeracy', and 'emotional burnout'. While there are attempts at less common lexical items, the limited overall volume of the text prevents a wider display of lexical flexibility. Spelling and word choice are accurate throughout the student's writing, indicating a solid foundation in academic lexis without noticeable errors impeding communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student displays strong control over grammatical structures, incorporating both simple and complex sentences effectively. Examples include the complex structure 'When young students spend the majority of their school hours completing worksheets...' and the concessive clause 'While foundational literacy and numeracy are undeniably crucial...'. The majority of the sentences produced are error-free, showcasing good punctuation and syntactic control. While the range of structures is somewhat limited by the brevity of the essay, the accuracy within the produced text is high and does not impede communication in any way.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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