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)

Many individuals believe that primary schools system give a lot of their focus to just formal education. I am partially agree with this statement, as nowadays schools are giving more focus to practical activities, along with their academic tasks. I think it is very crucial for the children to have some kind of extracurricular activities because with this students feel refreshed and give more concentration to their studies. This essay will examine the personal opinion and the importance of play to children in the schools.

To begin with, primary schools had focused more only on formal learning. However, nowadays they also pay attention to the extra activities also, with the formal studies of the students. In recent yearschools administration and teachers give their attention to students refreshment and their entertainment, in order to keep students interested and concentrated in their studies. For instance, in most schools there is one specific class for the extra activities, in which different children play different kind of indoor and outdoor sports according to their interest. Furthermore, some schools arrange tournaments of different sports, cricket, football etc, with the collaboration of other schools for the purpose of entertainment and enjoyment of students. On the other hand, some underdevelopment and smaller schools with less facilities and arrangement systems, also lack of qualified teachers and less number of students still only rely on formal learning.

Moreover, it is really important and beneficial for the children to play, along with their formal classroom studies. Students can feel more refreshed and also it helps in their grooming. For example, students who take part in some kind of activity within the school, due to this they can feel less burden and their minds should be free of the academic pressure and chaos. It also helps in the popularity of the school. For instance, if there is any competition on the different levels, whether that is on the council, tehsil, district, province or national level. The schools take part in that competition and when one of the school wins that competition, so that institute should be recognised on the on the higher level.

In conclusion, schools are giving much more attention to extra activities nowadays, other than the formal education. It is for the betterment of both the children and school, as with this children feel overwhelmed and the schools become more popular and well-known.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the two-part prompt by discussing the extent of formal learning in primary schools and the importance of play. The writer states a clear position ('I am partially agree with this statement') and supports it with relevant arguments and examples regarding extracurricular activities and sports. However, some ideas are slightly repetitive or underdeveloped, such as the mention of school popularity, which tends to drift from the core educational focus. Nevertheless, the main parts of the task are adequately covered, fulfilling the criteria for Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is generally coherent with a clear overall arrangement and logical paragraphing. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to the current situation of formal learning, the importance of play, and a brief conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, with awkward transitional phrases such as 'To begin with, primary schools had focused more only on formal learning.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, and some sentences lack smooth linking, which places the response securely in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'extracurricular activities', 'administration', and 'collaboration'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'primary schools system', 'I am partially agree', and 'underdevelopment and smaller schools with less facilities'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ability to construct multi-clause sentences. However, frequent grammatical errors are present, including subject-verb agreement issues ('schools system give', 'children feel overwhelmed'), incorrect verb tenses ('primary schools had focused'), and awkward phrasing ('due to this they can feel less burden'). Punctuation errors also occur. These errors occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar performance at a Band 5.5 to 6 level.

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

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