Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

It is often argued that primary schools focus too much on formal learning, however ,I opine that it is crucial for pupils to play as well as learn primary school classroom. I am strong agree with this statement because of improve of their health and boost confidence among children.

One of the major reason for my approval to this point of view because of improvement in physical and mental health. This is due to fact that if children are encourage to participate in games it become beneficial for their health, it is not neccesay for their pysical health but also for this mental health, when they participate in different activities they feel positive, energetic and more focused through out their studies . For instance, Schools in foreign countries like China, Japan give some time to children to play in the school, that`s why the children in developed countries are more intelligent and active. Therefore, it improve overall performance of the children in studies.

Another reason for agreement of this statement is boost confidence among children. To elaborate, if juvenile participate among different sports in hepls in built confidence among them becuase if they motivated to play and win itv improve their overall confidence it is also beneficial in their real life because thay are able the deal difficult sitautions. For example, the games rules are motivated children to play in displine without fighting witrh anyone. Thus, they also deal with problems in their daily routine.

To conclude, I believe that children are encourage to participte in play as well learn in classroom beca

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, expressing a clear position on formal learning and the importance of play in primary schools. However, some ideas are under-developed and limited in scope. For instance, while the writer mentions the improvement of physical and mental health, the supporting explanations are repetitive and rely on broad assertions rather than deep elaboration. The example regarding schools in China and Japan lacks specific detail and is over-generalized. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to extend and support all main ideas with more fully developed explanations and concrete, precise examples rather than superficial arguments. Note that nine words copied directly from the task prompt were excluded from the official word count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is a clear attempt at an overall organisation, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and an incomplete conclusion. However, progression is limited because the ideas within paragraphs tend to circle back on themselves rather than move forward logically. Cohesive devices are sometimes inaccurate or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'One of the major reason' and 'Another reason for agreement'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, for example, using 'hepls in built confidence' where the subject and logical flow are disjointed. Paragraphing is present, but the abrupt ending of the essay shows a lack of control over the overall structural progression. To improve, the writer must use a wider and more accurate range of cohesive devices and ensure that each sentence logically builds upon the previous one.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited and minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'pysical health', 'energetic', and 'discipline', but these attempts are frequently marred by spelling and word-form errors like 'neccesay', 'hepls', 'itv', 'thay', and 'participte'. Word choice is sometimes inappropriate, as seen in phrases like 'I am strong agree' instead of 'strongly agree'. These noticeable errors and spelling mistakes cause some difficulty for the reader and restrict the score. To achieve a higher band, the writer must expand their lexical repertoire, use words with greater precision regarding collocation and style, and significantly improve spelling accuracy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a very limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside faulty attempts at complex clauses. There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('games rules are motivated children'), missing articles ('in primary school classroom'), incorrect prepositions ('participate among different sports'), and punctuation errors like the misplaced comma in 'learning, however ,I opine'. These frequent errors can cause strain and difficulty for the reader. To move up, the writer needs to demonstrate a greater variety of complex grammatical structures and maintain much better control over basic sentence construction, verb forms, and punctuation.

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.