Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-18

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)

Some people think that primary schools focus a lot on formal education. I partially disagree with this statement , because in the recent years education systems have slowly started integrating extracurricular activities. It is also very important that learning and playing should be balanced in an appropriate manner.

The focus on studies in primary education was much higher in earlier times. This pattern is decling in the modern world, as many schools have started adding periods which vary according to their interest, this may include activities like playing sports, painting, drama etc ,ensuring they develop a set of hobbies and interests. For example many educational institutions have added a period every day where learners can do a bunch of things to make it more interactive.

It is very crucial for children to indulge in playing as well as studying in the classroom. Studying constantly for long hours can have negative impacts, like increased stress and lower retension rates. To reduce this teachers can make children play some indoor games during specific hours for example chess or ludo. They can also making learning more interactive by introducing fun activities like asking a quiz from a specific subject, due to this scholars remain intrested.

In Conclusion , many individuals believe primary schools to focus a lot on formal education. I partially disagree as in the recent years many schools are introducing additional activities for students according to their intrests. I also think that it extreamly important to balance learning and playing, one way should be make classroom studies more interactive and introducing games

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the two-part prompt, discussing both the extent of formal learning in primary schools and the importance of play alongside study. A clear position is established in the introduction ('I partially disagree with this statement') and maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are generally relevant, supporting the view that education has evolved and that play is vital to prevent stress and lower retention rates. However, some arguments lack deep extension and specific real-world examples, relying instead on somewhat general statements like 'activities like playing sports, painting, drama etc.' and 'indoor games during specific hours for example chess or ludo.' While the core task is adequately covered, the development remains somewhat basic. This performance aligns well with Band 6 descriptors, as all parts of the prompt are addressed with relevant ideas, though some are under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct ideas, such as the historical vs. modern shift in education and the importance of play in the classroom. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. For instance, the transition 'This pattern is decling in the modern world' directly follows a sentence about the past without smooth transitional linking. Furthermore, referencing and punctuation issues disrupt the flow, such as spacing errors around commas and periods (e.g., 'statement , because' and 'etc ,ensuring'). Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes inaccurately or repetitively, such as the repetitive phrasing in the conclusion. Overall, the structural progression is clear enough to earn a Band 6, though greater precision in logical connectors and referencing is needed for a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully conveying meaning regarding educational systems and extracurricular activities. There are attempts to use less common items and subject-specific vocabulary, such as 'extracurricular activities', 'educational institutions', 'interactive', and 'retention rates' (spelled 'retension'). However, there are noticeable lexical errors, including spelling mistakes ('decling', 'retension', 'intrested', 'extreamly') and awkward collocations, such as 'asking a quiz' instead of 'holding a quiz' or 'giving a quiz'. The range is sufficient to allow the writer to communicate their ideas clearly, but the presence of spelling errors and vocabulary slips places this response securely at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional ideas (e.g., 'periods which vary according to their interest', 'Studying constantly for long hours can have negative impacts'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several punctuation and structural errors, such as comma splices or misplaced commas ('Some people think that primary schools focus a lot on formal education. I partially disagree with this statement , because...'), missing subjects or faulty verb forms in clauses ('They can also making learning more interactive'), and preposition misuse ('intrests'). Despite these errors, the meaning is rarely impeded, and the sentences remain generally understandable. This balanced mix of successful complex structures alongside frequent mechanical and grammatical errors is characteristic of Band 6 performance.

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