Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-24

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 5.0)

Formal learning is the sole aim among primary schools according to some people, while other vote against it. Formal learning is important part of growth of a child and at intial level it is important for a child to be introduced with these areas as well. However, formal learning is not the only important thing to learn at this level. Explore others activites are also the basic thing to buit interest in this age, like play or any type of entertainment activity.

The primary shools focus more on introducing subjects to the children. Although, it is important to have formal education but having major focus on formal education isn't good for children of that age. In the time of primary learning, children prefer to learn through creative ways, like if teachers are teaching them maths, just don't stick to the books rather make some creative ways to understand them. Similarly, forming some playing formation can also help them to learn fastly.

Playing plays an important role in this age learning. It not only helps with learning but also helps children to built confidence in them. Partcipating, giving opinion and accepting failure helps in building leaderships qualities among children. Coupled playing with classroom learning helps the leader to be born within themselves. In classrooms they learned about the theories which they implement through some creative learning plays, helping them to understand more effectively.

overall, formal education is important and classroom learning builds the foundation for further learning, but only formal eduaction or classroom learning do no good to the children of that age, rather, creative ways and plays help more to children and help them learn more.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the extent of agreement regarding formal learning and explaining the importance of play in the primary school classroom. However, the development of ideas is limited and at times repetitive. For instance, the student mentions that play helps build confidence, leadership qualities, and social skills, but these points are stated rather than fully extended with relevant examples or specific explanations. The position is generally clear throughout, but the over-reliance on basic generalisations prevents the response from reaching higher bands. According to the Band 5 and 6 descriptors, the task is addressed with relevant ideas, but some points remain under-developed or unclear, leading to a score of 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay is divided into four paragraphs, showing a clear attempt at structural organisation with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and confusing phrasing, such as 'Explore others activites are also the basic thing to buit interest'. Cohesive devices are used mechanically or inaccurately, and referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in the sentence 'Coupled playing with classroom learning helps the leader to be born within themselves'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct ideas, but the overall internal cohesion within paragraphs is faulty. These characteristics align closely with the Band 5 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms related to education such as 'formal learning', 'primary schools', 'theories', and 'classroom learning'. However, there are frequent errors in word choice, morphology, and collocation throughout the text. Examples include 'intial level' instead of initial level, 'Explore others activites' instead of exploring other activities, 'buit interest' instead of build interest, and 'fastly' instead of quickly. Furthermore, 'eduaction' is misspelled. While communication is not severely impeded, the noticeable lexical errors and limited control over less common vocabulary place this response firmly in the Band 5 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures like conditional and relative clauses, such as 'like if teachers are teaching them maths, just don't stick to the books rather make some creative ways to understand them.' However, control over grammar is weak, with frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('other vote', 'primary shools focus', 'play plays'), preposition use ('learn through creative ways'), and sentence structure ('only formal eduaction or classroom learning do no good'). These errors frequently cause difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a higher score. The frequency and impact of these mistakes match the Band 5 descriptors.

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

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