Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-20

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)

Primary school is a crucial part of life, nowadays, some people debate in favour that, some primary schools focuses too much on formal learning. In my opinion, study is equally important as playing, so primary schools should focus on both, study as well as play.

Initially, children at play schools are at their developing age either physically or mentally. So children should give equal importance to physical activities and theoretical learning. In recent times many primary schools are focusing too much on formal learning. Schools should create a format in which they teaches children about formal learning and at the same time they also focuses on their physical growth. For instance- creation of a time table in which physical activities and formal learning are equally balanced, which will develop an interest in children's mind to learn new things.

Secondly, there can be some drawbacks by this, lack of interest in sports, if children are taught too much formal learning without any physical activities, it can finish their interest in sports which will affect their physical health. Furthermore, mental stress, children who only focuses on study and good grades takes too much stress, as compared to ones who plays. It can also lead to various health issues. For instance- the teachers can create a classroom where children play as well as learn at the same time which will be helpful for creating their interest in studies and boost their physical and mental health. So that's the reason children should play as well as learn in primary school classroom.

In conclusion, focusing too much on formal learning at play school can lead to various health problems and lack of interest building in physical activities among children. There are various solutions which can be used to avoid these problems, like an interesting classroom with an environment of play and studies mix.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the two-part prompt, discussing both the extent of agreement regarding formal learning and the importance of play in the primary classroom. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas tends to be repetitive, and supporting points rely on general statements rather than fully explored examples. For instance, the mention of 'creation of a time table' is brief and lacks depth. Furthermore, there is some confusion in phrasing, such as 'debate in favour that, some primary schools focuses too much', which slightly detracts from the clarity of the argument. Therefore, the response aligns best with a Band 6, as it addresses the task adequately but lacks fully developed ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion appropriately. Logical progression is attempted using transition markers such as 'Initially', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. However, cohesion can feel mechanical or faulty in places. For instance, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the phrase 'there can be some drawbacks by this, lack of interest in sports', where the connection between clauses is clumsy. Additionally, repetitive phrasing across sentences makes the flow less natural. These limitations prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at Band 6 for adequate yet sometimes flawed cohesive devices and referencing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task and demonstrates an attempt to incorporate topic-specific terms such as 'formal learning', 'physical activities', and 'mental health'. However, there is a lack of flexibility, and precision is frequently missing, leading to awkward collocations and word choice errors like 'developing age either physically or mentally' instead of 'formative years'. The writer also repeats basic lexical items such as 'play', 'learn', 'study', and 'focuses' excessively throughout the text. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, but the overall vocabulary range remains limited, which corresponds directly to the descriptors for Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability to construct longer sentences, such as 'For instance- creation of a time table in which physical activities and formal learning are equally balanced, which will develop an interest...'. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'primary schools focuses', 'schools should... teaches', 'children who only focuses... takes'), incorrect prepositions, and punctuation issues. These errors cause occasional difficulty for the reader and demonstrate that control over complex structures is still inconsistent. This performance matches the criteria for a Band 5.0 in grammatical range and accuracy.

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

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