Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-19
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 increasingly argue that elementary schools only give formal education to children.I completely agree that because school should be both enjoyable and learning center for children and that is why, it is important for children to play as well as learn in the educational school.
The primary reason for this agreemnet is, too much formal learning make children less interesting and enjoyable.Children get bored and don't want to learn so many things daily which make them unwilling to go to school. So, school should have a portion of time for play with other children so that they don't get bored. As a result, they can enjoy in playing time as well as learn in school. For example, some elementary schools have allocated a part of time for playing in the learning period so that they don't feel pressurized.
Another reason is that, playing with other children ,they make new friends in school, learn new skill and shared bondings with others. Playing makes a children to learn outside from the educational books so that they can enjoy the outside of the knowledge. As a result, they learn how to amke new friends, learn new sports in school. For instance, in some primary school children make different types of oragami papers with their friends. It enhances their thinking and also important for their development.
In conclusion, teachers definitely should not only focus on books, they also make arrangemnet children to play in a centain period of time.So that, they don't get to feel monotonous in school.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, expressing a clear position on formal learning and the importance of play in primary schools. The ideas presented are relevant, such as how play prevents boredom and helps children develop social skills and creativity through examples like origami. However, some arguments lack full extension and are slightly repetitive, leaning towards a Band 6 level. For instance, the point about making new friends and learning new skills is somewhat underdeveloped and relies on generalized explanations rather than deep elaboration. Nevertheless, the writer successfully responds to both direct questions posed in the task instructions, meeting the core requirements of Task Achievement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct ideas, such as boredom reduction in the second paragraph and social development in the third. However, the progression is sometimes hindered by mechanical or faulty cohesive devices, and referencing is not always clear (e.g., 'playing with other children ,they make new friends'). Transitional markers are basic or repetitive, leading to a choppy flow in places. Despite these noticeable cohesive flaws, the writing maintains a logical sequence that allows the reader to follow the main arguments easily.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to incorporate less common items and subject-related terms like 'formal education', 'pressurized', and 'monotonous'. However, there are frequent word-choice and spelling errors that occasionally detract from the reading experience, such as 'agreemnet', 'interesting' instead of 'interested', 'amke', and 'oragami'. Collocations are sometimes awkward, for example, 'shared bondings with others'. While the lexical range allows the student to communicate their main ideas clearly, the presence of these noticeable slips and limited precision places the response firmly within the Band 5.5 to 6 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at multi-clause structures such as 'I completely agree that because school should be...'. However, these complex structures are frequently faulty, accompanied by grammatical errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'too much formal learning make', 'makes a children'), punctuation, and article usage. Despite these recurring errors, communication is rarely impeded, and the basic meaning of the text remains accessible throughout. The control over grammar is characteristic of a Band 5 performance, showing limited accuracy when attempting more sophisticated sentence patterns.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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