Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-22
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 peope believe that the primary schools focus mainly on the formal learning while ignoring the extracurricular acivities especially playing.I completely agree with this opinion as i have been to many primary schools and i have seen with own eyes that most of the primary schools are books oreinted and very little amount of time is being given to the student for sports.
In this era of sports entertainment and oppurtunities, it is the dire need of the hour to let the children play. Primary school children's age is the time when muscle memory develops. If a children starts playing the sports he is interested in, there is high chance that he will be a top athlete in the future.However, if the school only focuses on the formal learning and does not the support the children's playing, mostly students will lose that talent as they grow up and will not be able to become a high level sportsman.Moreover, children who plays are more healthy, mentally and physcially, and they perform better in formal learning.
For example, my younger brother was very keen to play football. He was very sharp. strong and skillful. But due to the primary school formal study pressure, he had to leave his passion of becoming a professional footballer and focus more on his studies to become a doctor. Now, he is doing MBBS and he still blames his primary school because it did not give him enough time to play.
In the light of above mentioned facts and an example, I will say that playing is as important as formal studying.So, the primary schools should let the children spend atleast half the amount of school time.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the two-part prompt. The writer clearly states a position ('I completely agree with this opinion') and discusses both the dominance of formal learning and the importance of play. The ideas are supported by explanations regarding muscle memory and health, as well as a personal example involving the writer's younger brother. However, some arguments tend to over-generalize and are slightly under-developed, particularly regarding how play directly impacts academic performance. The overall position is maintained throughout the response, fitting the criteria for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with logical progression. Each paragraph serves a distinct purpose, moving from the introduction and stance to arguments, a supporting example, and a concluding remark. However, cohesive devices are sometimes faulty, mechanical, or unnatural, such as 'In the light of above mentioned facts and an example'. Paragraphing is used, though transitions between paragraphs could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but mechanical repetition of cohesive phrases keeps this section at Band 6.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'extracurricular activities', 'muscle memory', 'professional footballer', and 'professional'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including 'peope', 'acivities', 'oreinted', 'oppurtunities', and 'physcially'. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a Band 6.0 level where vocabulary control shows some inconsistency.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at conditional structures ('If a children starts playing...') and relative clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('children who plays', 'primary schools focus'), article omissions ('leaves his passion', 'to become doctor'), and punctuation/spacing errors. While these errors rarely impede overall communication, they prevent the writer from achieving a higher band score, making Band 5.5 a fair assessment.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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