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 school system give a lot of their focus to just formal education. I 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 extracurricullar activities because with these students feel refreshed and give more concentration to their studies. This essay will examine my personal opinion and the importance of play for children in the schools.

To begin with, primary schools had focused only on formal learning. However, nowadays they also pay attention to the extra activities, with the formal studies of the students. In recent years, schools 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 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, with 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 can be recognised on a 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 this makes children feel overwhelmed and the schools become more popular and well-known.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the two-part prompt, discussing the extent of formal learning in primary schools and the importance of play. The writer states a clear position in the introduction ("I partially agree with this statement") and attempts to develop ideas throughout the essay. However, the development is sometimes hindered by over-generalized statements and a slightly disjointed paragraph structure, particularly in the third body paragraph where ideas about underfunded schools bleed into the benefits of extracurricular activities and school popularity. While the main arguments are relevant, they lack the depth and fully articulated support expected at higher bands. Therefore, the performance aligns well with Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate main ideas, though internal paragraph cohesion is occasionally faulty. For instance, the transition between discussing under-resourced schools and the benefits of play is abrupt within the third paragraph. Cohesive devices are employed, but some referencing is unclear or mechanical, such as the repetitive use of "For instance" and vague pronouns like "with this they can feel less burden." Progression is discernible, but logical connections between sentences occasionally stumble, placing this response firmly in Band 6.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as "extracurricular activities," "administration," and "reinforce." However, there are notable word-choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as "primary school system give a lot of their focus," "less facilities and arrangement systems," and "feel less burden." Spelling is generally accurate, but the occasional awkward phrasing and imprecise vocabulary choices occasionally strain the reader, meaning the response sits comfortably at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. There are several error-free sentences, such as introductory clauses and basic relative structures. However, grammatical errors are frequent, particularly regarding subject-verb agreement ("primary school system give," "schools administration and teachers give"), preposition usage ("on the different levels"), and awkward syntactic blending (e.g., "Students who take part in some kind of activity within the school, with this they can feel..."). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they recur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching Band 6.5, making Band 6 the most accurate descriptor.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.