Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-25

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 6.5)

A multitude of people argue that primary schools are too much infatuated with formal learning. I agree with this opinion, and i believe that children beside learning, should also partake in playing in a classroom environment as well.

Children are abundant with energy and confining them to a rigorous static learning is more suited to adults. As they are developing, their emotional regulation is not acquianted with long study hours. Kids may disrupt class, which in itself shows a sense of inhibition of attention that may effect other students as well. That's why having sessions of games or activities may sap this excess energy. Games will also help kids to socialize together. Socializing will create friendships but will also teach children to work together to solve problems. Kids interacting with each other will be a good experience in order to learn how to regulate their emotions. By creating a fun and relaxed environment, it will have the effect of children being more at ease and more attentful.

Gamifying teaching can lead to better results. Lectures suffer of having monotone energy, where the participation is one-sided. Teachers will find that kids will stop paying attention fast. That's why by organising the lessons into games, the reception from the students will be much higher. Games are fun in nature and they require the activation of the senses in order to participate. The gamified lectures, will bring the class together. This can further the goal of educating everybody together which may prevent the feeling of being left out. Memory is stimulated during games, in a way that forces kids to be more logical about their learning instead of cramming different pieces of information.

People are right to think that primary schools today, focus too much on formal learning. Children by playing and learning will have better results in the classroom. I fully agree with this sentiment as games help kids to channel their energy into positive development and this type of learning will also reinforce the knowledge that they get.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, expressing clear agreement with the idea that primary schools focus too much on formal learning, and discussing the importance of play alongside learning. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The student develops ideas reasonably well, such as explaining how games help children channel excess energy, socialize, and learn to regulate their emotions. However, some arguments, particularly in the third paragraph regarding gamified lectures and memory stimulation, tend to over-generalize or remain slightly repetitive. Overall, the task is properly addressed and the core arguments are sufficiently extended and supported, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, starting with the introduction and stance, moving into emotional regulation and socialization, then discussing gamified learning, and concluding with a summary of the viewpoint. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'That's why', 'By creating', and 'This can further the goal', though referencing is occasionally a bit mechanical or repetitive in sentence openings. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the overall progression of ideas remains clear to the reader from beginning to end, which strongly supports a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrasings such as 'infatuated with formal learning', 'rigorous static learning', 'emotional regulation', and 'gamifying teaching'. There is a clear awareness of style and collocation, although some minor inaccuracies occur, such as 'effect other students' (affect) and 'lectures suffer of having' (suffer from). Despite these occasional slips and minor word-choice errors, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary employed comfortably meets the criteria for Band 6.5 or a solid Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay incorporates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as participial phrases and conditional clauses ('By creating a fun and relaxed environment, it will have the effect...'). There are some noticeable grammatical errors and awkward punctuation, including the lowercase 'i' in the first paragraph, 'not acquianted' (acquainted), 'attentful' (attentive), and 'lectures suffer of having'. While these errors persist, many sentences remain error-free and communication is rarely impeded, reflecting the characteristics of a Band 6 performance.

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

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