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)

In many countries it's a growing concern of primary school students in which the keen focus of the school managemnet is to make them strong in learning and other educational activities. Students donot get opportunity to play physical games and make themselves physically stronger. The primary school managemnt should have focused on this.

On the other hands, as we all know that primary school is to make the fundamental knowledge of the students strong. This is a good thing because in the growing years the brain of the students is also in growing phase they must have ability to solve mathematics problems and should have best capability to read and understand the topic they are reading. There is a race of grades and the students have to learn and compete the companion students to achieve best grades. But this doesnot means that only they keep learning like robots and have no physical activity in their life they must play physical games in playground this will not only make them physically stronger but also mentally stronger.

Playing games is not just physical exercise but it is also beneficial for a students mental health. We can take example of a child who studies in the school for 6-8 hours having no physical activity, then after coming back to home he has to complete his homework it will take not less then 2-3 hours. One day the student will assure suppose himself in a bounded environment where there's nothing else except studies. When students play games in ground they communicate with other students they become aware of what's happening around there there communication ability enhances and they will feel confident. The parents should make proper timetable of their childs and have check and balance of what's they doing all the day.

In the last, I will probably say that the primary schools must prepare a timetable in which the students not only learns but there must be a physical activities session and other small activities in which they interact with other students. Their confidence will be enhanced and they will emerge as good students in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: whether primary schools focus too much on formal learning, and how important it is for children to play as well as learn. The writer takes a clear position and supports it with relevant ideas, such as the mental and physical health benefits of play and the dangers of a sedentary, over-scheduled lifestyle. However, some ideas are slightly repetitive or under-developed, and the argument could benefit from more precise examples rather than generalisations. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate distinct ideas, such as the academic focus versus the need for physical activity. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'On the other hands' and 'In the last, I will probably say' are awkward or inaccurate. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'what's they doing all the day', which disrupts the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases like 'bounded environment' and 'sedentary lifestyle' implicitly, though often with noticeable errors in word choice and collocation (e.g., 'school managemnet', 'companion students', 'check and balance'). Spelling errors are present, such as 'managemnet' and 'childs'. While communication is generally maintained, the frequent lexical inaccuracies and limited control over precise word forms restrict the score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and sentence boundaries, such as run-on sentences ('When students play games in ground they communicate with other students they become aware of what's happening around there there communication ability enhances'). Other errors include missing auxiliary verbs and incorrect prepositions ('in ground' instead of 'on the playground'). These errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader.

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

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