Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-30

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)

Nowadays, many primary schools focus more on formal learning than on activities and playing. Some people think that schools should focus mainly on studying, while others believe that children should have more time for activities and play. Although formal learning is important, I believe that playing is also important and healthy for children.

Firstly, playing is important beacuse it helps them in developing social skills. Children needs to learn how to communicate and work with others. When school provide activities and playtime, children can work together with their classmates and make friends. They can learn how to share, cooperate and solve the problems together. These skills will be very useful and also help them when they grow up.

Secondly, playing also help children increase knowledge. When children play and with other students they will learn new ideas, culturs and backgrounds. For example, children from different countries can sahre information about their culture and traditions. Playing with other students can also help them in learn new words and improve their communications skills.

In conclusion, playing is an important as learning in primary schools. It help children develop social skills, learn new things and improve their communication skills. Therefore, schools should give children a balance between studying and playing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the two-part prompt by stating a clear position that playing is important alongside formal learning. However, the length requirement of 250 words is not met, as the student's response contains only 207 words. This under-length results in under-development of ideas, notably in the body paragraphs where examples and explanations are relatively brief and slightly repetitive. While the student attempts to provide reasons regarding social skills and cultural exposure, the arguments lack full extension and deep substantiation due to the constrained word count. Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, warranting a Band 5.5 for Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response is structured into four paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, showing a clear overall logical arrangement. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Basic cohesive devices are utilised, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion', to guide the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in the phrase 'When school provide activities' where subject-verb agreement fails, and transitions between sentences can feel abrupt. Despite these minor limitations, the essay maintains an intelligible progression throughout, earning a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with appropriate everyday terms related to education and childhood, such as 'formal learning', 'social skills', 'communicate', and 'cooperate'. The student attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'culturs' (spelling error for cultures) and 'backgrounds', but control is inconsistent. There are several spelling and word-choice errors, including 'beacuse', 'needs' instead of 'need', and 'sahre' instead of 'share'. Furthermore, phrasing like 'help children increase knowledge' is somewhat unnatural. Because the lexical range is sufficient for the basic communication of ideas despite noticeable errors, a Band 5.5 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional or concessive clauses in the introduction ('Although formal learning is important, I believe...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('Children needs', 'When school provide', 'It help children') and pluralisation or article use. There are also lexical-grammatical slips such as 'in learn new words'. While these errors are noticeable and require some effort from the reader to interpret, they do not completely impede communication. The presence of both complex structures and frequent errors places this performance solidly at Band 5.5.

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