Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-04

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 should focus on formal learning or should include informal learning aspects as well. From my perspective, formal learning is benefical but there is room for children to play for their own self-learning and growth. This essay will discuss both the opinions.

In primary schools, children should play and perform outdoor activities as it is help them to expolre themselves. Furthermore, they are able to develop by their own as self-learning is important for children growth and development. For example: Mother handover a plate to child to learn to eat by themselves as initially they struggle to handle spoon but eventally they keen to learn how to eat. Similarly, teachers should allow to children to play as they are able to expolre the way out from the situation. In that way, their creativity skills are self-exploratation skills are enhanced.

Another compelling reason, at early stage of children primary school should allow children to paricipate for outdoor activities, sports and play outside the schools. From the childhood, they are active participator and it is important for their physical health and mental-wellbeing. For-example,children who get particpate in sport activities from childhood eventally, they have good physical and mental strength as well.

Fomal learning is also important because help them to have discipline in their life. As research mention, at the early stage of children they able to learn quickly, formal learning help them to have discipline and learn time management skills in life and grab easily everything.

In conclusion, primary schools has importance for formal learning but children who play in primary school classroom are way more active personalities as it help them to enhance and explore their own skills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both formal and informal learning, presenting a clear position that primary schools should balance formal education with playtime. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat limited and under-developed. For example, while the writer attempts to support the argument with an analogy about a child learning to eat with a spoon, the example is unclear and lacks the appropriate academic depth. Similarly, the points regarding mental well-being and discipline are introduced but not fully extended. The essay covers all parts of the task, though certain aspects are handled more superficially than others, which prevents it from reaching a higher level of task response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a discernible progression of ideas from paragraph to paragraph. Each paragraph has a clear focus, such as the benefits of outdoor activities or the value of formal learning. However, the cohesion can occasionally feel mechanical or repetitive, particularly through basic transitional phrases and referencing. For instance, the transition 'Another compelling reason, at early stage of children primary school should allow...' lacks smooth integration into the text. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the response, but the management of cohesive devices requires greater flexibility and variety to achieve a truly natural flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough range to communicate basic arguments about education and play. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and issues with word formation, collocation, and spelling throughout the text. Examples include 'benefical' instead of beneficial, 'expolre' instead of explore, 'eventally' instead of eventually, and 'participator' instead of participant. Additionally, phrases like 'Mother handover a plate to child' demonstrate awkward word choice and unnatural expression. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary, inaccuracies in spelling and word form occasionally cause some difficulty for the reader and restrict the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer employs a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple forms and attempting complex sentences that frequently contain grammatical errors. There are frequent issues with verb forms, subject-verb agreement, articles, and prepositions within grammatical patterns. Examples of these errors include 'as it is help them', 'teachers should allow to children to play', 'at early stage of children primary school should allow', and 'children who get particpate in sport activities'. Punctuation and structural control are inconsistent, leading to frequent errors that can cause some difficulty for the reader, which aligns with the expected characteristics of this band level.

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