Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-03

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 6.0)

Most of the people are of the opinion that schools spend majority of the time on structured learning. This essay will explain why is it important to adopt a informal teaching method for primary shool children and argue that this is a postive development.

There are number of reasons why conventional way of teaching is popular among the schools. The primary reason is that it disciplines the students and helps them to learn time management in the early years of growth. Following a schedule and attending regular classes instills the habit of being punctual and attentive throughout the day. For example, students who show best behaviour in primary school also tend to exhibit these qualities in their daily lives and future.

Although implementing an institutional way of teaching may facilitates the students in different ways, I firmly believe that it is predominantly harmful. The most significant drawback is that it inhibits their imaginative thoughts and ideas. Primary students love to play and think out of the box which are affected due to the hectic routines as it leaves them lazy by the end of the day. Moreover, most of the students lose interest in other acitivites such as sports and music because of the stress they have of the syllabus or preparation for their next examination. China, for example, focuses more on inducive learning where students are given time to practice new skills such as knitting, sewing or solving puzzels alog with physical activities everyday. As a result, this technique not only broadens the horizons of creativity but also increases the IQ level of the children as they become better critical thinkers and problem solvers.

In conclusion, while emphasis on formal education is increasingly common, its downsides including numbers of hours spent sitting in classrooms and following strict schedules, have far-reaching consequences. I believe that this trend have a negative impact on both children and society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the two-part prompt, acknowledging both the focus on formal learning and the importance of play and informal learning. However, the development of ideas is uneven. While the benefits of traditional teaching in instilling discipline are touched upon, the counter-argument regarding the negative impacts is somewhat generalized. For instance, the mention of China's educational practices introduces a relevant example, but the transition and connection back to the core thesis could be extended more thoroughly. Some ideas remain slightly under-developed, which prevents the response from reaching a higher level of task fulfillment. To improve further, the writer should ensure that every main point is fully elaborated with robust explanations and clear, direct connections to both parts of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance established in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different arguments, such as the benefits of conventional teaching versus the drawbacks of excessive formal learning. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or faulty, seen in phrases like 'There are number of reasons' where referencing and linking can feel slightly abrupt. While paragraph transitions generally make sense, the flow between ideas within paragraphs could be smoother to create a more natural progression throughout the response. To progress, the writer needs to employ a wider and more flexible variety of cohesive devices while ensuring that referencing remains consistently clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'disciplines the students', 'time management', and 'critical thinkers'. However, there are notable word choice, collocation, and word-formation errors that reveal themselves throughout the text, such as 'adopt a informal teaching method' instead of 'an informal', 'postive' spelling error, and 'acitivites'. Additionally, phrases like 'hectic routines' or 'inducive learning' show some inaccuracy in lexical selection. These errors do not impede communication, as the reader can easily grasp the intended meaning, but they restrict the lexical score. To move up, the writer should focus on precise word choices, correct collocations, and careful proofreading to eliminate minor spelling and form slips.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures. There are, however, some recurring errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include missing articles ('adopt a informal teaching method', 'numbers of hours'), subject-verb agreement issues ('this trend have a negative impact'), and awkward phrasing in indirect questions ('why is it important'). Despite these mistakes, the errors are not overly frequent and rarely impede overall communication. The sentences remain largely readable, but the control over complex grammatical patterns is not yet fully consistent. To achieve a higher band, the writer must demonstrate better control over articles, pluralization, subject-verb agreement, and the accurate formation of complex sentence structures.

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

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