Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-27

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)

Nowadays, primary schools focus more on academic studies than other activites. Some people argue that children have to do their formal learning also other activities such as Sports, drama, painting, drwaing and many more outside activities. I totally agree on that students have to get taught every activities than only formal books.

First of all, students who learn all the formal subjects and also paritcipate in other activity there minds gets new and creative ideas. For example, when primary schools students participate in the drama. Their mind dont work as students. They think that he/she is that charcter of that drama. They get more involved in those activity and they become more confident in that age.

Second advantage of playing in school for specific time period students become more accurate. They get to know, what time they have to study and when they have to play. They can focus on both their formal study and also play area. They get knoweledge of how to divide thier time for study and play time. For instance, my younger cousin brother he is in primary school. His parents have never had to tell him to do his study. He knows he have to finsih his homework and then whatever times left he can play with his friends. When, I was kid my parents always get shouted on me to do study. Because, I was thinking in stchool we studied and after coming from school why have to study again at home.

In my point of view, Primary schools have to give the same importance as formal study and other curiculam activites. In that way, students mind get developed in good way. Students get to know which section they are more interested in as math, science, drama, history, swimming.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses both parts of the prompt, expressing a clear position on formal learning versus extracurricular play in primary schools and providing supporting ideas. The response explores how non-academic activities foster creative thinking and time management. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and occasionally repetitive. For instance, the discussion of the younger cousin relies heavily on a personal anecdote rather than broader examples, which is characteristic of a Band 5.5 to 6.0 performance. The position is maintained throughout, but the reasoning remains basic, with the second body paragraph drifting slightly into general assertions about time management without fully linking them back to the classroom environment as requested by the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The essay has a basic structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a brief concluding remark. However, paragraphing is somewhat blurred, and the progression of ideas is often disjointed. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively, such as 'First of all' and 'Second advantage'. Referencing is frequently unclear, as seen in sentences like 'His parents have never had to tell him to do his study. He knows he have to finsih his homework...' where pronoun reference and logical connection between sentences are strained. Overall, the arrangement of information shows some organization, but the lack of smooth transitions and effective signposting pulls the score into the Band 5.0 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, struggling to go beyond elementary terms. The student attempts less common vocabulary such as 'curiculam activites' and 'creative ideas', but these are marred by frequent spelling errors ('activites', 'drwaing', 'paritcipate', 'charcter', 'thier', 'curiculam') and awkward word choices ('there minds gets new', 'get shouted on me'). The range is minimally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express simple opinions, but the frequent lexical errors and incorrect collocations frequently draw attention and occasionally hinder comprehension, aligning well with the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response features a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and prone to frequent structural errors when attempting complex forms. Examples of inaccurate structures include 'I totally agree on that students have to get taught every activities than only formal books' and 'Because, I was thinking in stchool we studied and after coming from school why have to study again at home.' There are persistent errors in subject-verb agreement ('there minds gets', 'He knows he have to'), prepositions, and tense consistency. These frequent grammatical errors cause noticeable difficulty for the reader, which places the grammar firmly at a Band 5.0 level.

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

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