Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-02
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)
Education is the primary focus of all the school. Some people that primary school only focus on formal learning and don't focus on sports. In my opinion I don't agree with this statement because child have a right to focus on their dream.
On the first hand, formal studyare important but all children have different mindset. primary school gave knowledge to children for their future like maths,englsih and science but Some are good in study and may be some in sports. In primary school they only focus on study but student have another interest like playing football, cricket and in painting. They only focus on academic stduy.
On the second hand, children playing games. Playing games is important for children health. It gives strength and they make groups and play together and makes freind like lifetime freinds or it gives confidence to children. And other thing they become active and eat food because they know it gives energy then we play game much better and they reduce stress of their study.
Moreover, Playing is good for children it not harm anyone and children learn rules with that and also follow rules. So primary should focus on study but also with playing sports. because children don't feel bored with it is balance of study and sports.
In conclusion, primary schools don't focus only on study they also focus on sports and make a balance of study and sports. It is good for children because they don't get bored and also for school.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt partially, tackling both parts of the two-part question regarding formal learning and the importance of play, but the ideas remain limited and under-developed. For instance, the writer states 'In my opinion I don't agree with this statement because child have a right to focus on their dream,' but this position is not fully extended or supported with clear examples. While relevant points are raised about children having different mindsets and play reducing stress, the explanations lack depth and logical progression. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to present a clearer, more consistent position throughout and expand upon their arguments with well-developed, relevant examples rather than repetitive statements.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is some organisation present with basic paragraphing and transitional markers like 'On the first hand,' 'On the second hand,' and 'In conclusion,' yet there is no clear overall progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are sometimes inaccurate or repetitive, and referencing is occasionally unclear, such as ambiguous pronoun use ('They only focus on academic stduy'). The logical flow between sentences is frequently disrupted, leading to disjointed paragraphs where ideas jump abruptly from subjects like maths and science to football, cricket, and painting without smooth transitions. To achieve a higher band, the writer must ensure a more natural logical progression and use a wider variety of cohesive devices more accurately and appropriately.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey basic ideas about school and sports. The student attempts some less common words and phrases, but these are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form, such as 'formal studyare,' 'academic stduy,' and 'lifetime freinds.' Spelling errors are also present, including 'englsih' and 'freinds,' which occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader. To improve this criterion, the writer needs to expand their lexical range, demonstrate better control over word formation and spelling, and select more precise, natural vocabulary appropriate for an academic context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer demonstrates a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences, while attempts at complex sentences are frequently faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement, and articles throughout the text, such as 'Education is the primary focus of all the school,' 'child have a right,' and 'children playing games.' These frequent errors cause noticeable difficulty and distraction for the reader. To reach the next band, the writer must improve structural variety and demonstrate greater control over basic grammatical patterns, reducing the frequency of errors in agreement, plurals, and sentence construction.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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