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)
Some individuals lay that primary institutes focus too much on standard learning. I completely agreed with this statement because most of the schools are focusing too much on formal learning. Sports are also very significant with pratical knowledge developing of childrens in primary schools.
On the one hand, The main disadvantage of only formal learning is stress and unlike to learn. Giving students more pressure can get the childrens in stress and tension in early age. Furthurmore,their wish of learning decreases. For example, Without sports and entertainment learning looks like they just wanted to pass the exams. Which cannot give students a practical knowledge for their future.
On the other hand, sports are very essential in primary schools. It helps a childrens to active their mind and physically fit. For instance, it also build a social skills of childrens. Such as, sharing , teamwork and unity. Play-based learning increases the childrens thinking and problem solving skills. Such as, Playing blocks addition or drawing increases their creativity.
In conclusion, Primary schools are not being a place where only a books are studying. Balance between formal learning and sports is very important for bright future of students.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, agreeing with the view on formal learning and discussing the importance of play in primary schools. However, the ideas remain somewhat limited and under-developed, lacking sufficient support and explanation. For instance, the mention of teamwork and unity is not expanded upon with deeper reasoning or detailed personal examples. Furthermore, the response is notably short, failing to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words by a significant margin. This brevity restricts the fullness of the arguments and prevents the response from achieving a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
There is a coherent overall arrangement to the essay, with a clear introduction, separate body paragraphs for each main idea, and a concluding statement. Paragraphing is utilised to separate distinct points regarding the disadvantages of purely formal learning versus the benefits of sports. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. The use of cohesive devices is basic, and referencing can be unclear, such as the abrupt transitions between sentences in the second body paragraph. While logical progression is present, the links between sentences need to be managed more smoothly and flexibly to reach a higher level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, but range is limited. There are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form that cause some difficulty for the reader, such as "lay" instead of "say", "standard learning" instead of "formal learning", and "pratical knowledge developing of childrens". Word formation errors like "a childrens" and spelling slips like "Furthurmore" also occur frequently. Although the writer attempts some less common vocabulary, these inaccurate choices and spelling issues constrain the lexical score to this level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The response displays a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including tense usage, subject-verb agreement, and article placement, such as "most of the schools are focusing", "can get the childrens in stress", and "only a books are studying". These persistent errors cause some difficulty and strain for the reader. To improve, the writer needs to demonstrate better control over basic sentence patterns and reduce the frequency of grammatical mistakes.
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