Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-05

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)

A number of individuals believe that primary schools pay more attention towards formal learning than providing students opportunities to play.

The given essay will highlight the significance of recreational activites along with their curriculum or syllabus.

Keeping the importance of education in mind ,it can be said that an individual make his way to progress through acquiring knowledge and the only place to provide this opportunity in our society is schools.Although, schools provide men power for the world who later on play their vital role to lead the nation on the way to prosperity.As ,a child having interest in games get a proper direction and guidence to creates his own gaming programmes as well as to pusue it as his profession later on.A pupil who has a creative mind can learn the novel ways to introduce his innovations to the world and show his skills to the public.

On the other hand, the crucial impact of recreational activites, as playing games cannot be denayed in any society.Because, all individuals studiyng in a class never pocess the same calliber, as some are blessed with strong intellect while others are physically strong. In order to show their physical strength students must be provided with physical activities.During the initial stage of learning every student want to play alongwith studies, this not only helps to improve their focus but they can also performe well in their studies.

As it is said, all study and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so a physically fit student can utilize his potential in a proper way.

Therefore, the importance of play at all levels ,especially at primary level can not be ignored.Primary schools must give resources and alote play areas for students for their better performance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the task only partially. While the writer manages to touch upon both formal learning and the role of play in primary schools, the ideas remain limited and under-developed. For instance, the discussion around a child having interest in games and creating gaming programmes lacks sufficient explanation and drifts away from the core classroom context. Furthermore, the writer's position on the extent of agreement with the initial statement is not always clear throughout the essay. To move to a higher band, the response needs to extend and fully develop relevant arguments about the balance between academic subjects and recreational activities, ensuring every main point is properly supported with clear reasoning and relevant examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation present, such as the initial attempt to outline the essay's structure and the use of basic paragraphing, but the response lacks a clear overall progression. Cohesive devices are frequently inadequate, inaccurate, or repetitive, as seen with transitional phrases like 'Keeping the importance of education in mind ,it can be said' and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, and sentences often feel disjointed rather than forming a smooth logical sequence. To achieve a higher band, the writer must ensure a clear logical progression from one paragraph to the next, managing cohesive devices more flexibly and avoiding mechanical transitions while improving paragraph unity.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used represents a limited but minimally adequate range for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'prosperity', 'innovations', and 'calibre', but noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form cause some difficulty for the reader. Examples of lexical slips include 'activites' instead of 'activities', 'studiyng', 'calliber', 'alote' instead of 'allot', and the awkward collocation 'men power' instead of 'manpower'. To improve in this area, the writer needs to expand their lexical repertoire, pay closer attention to standard spelling and word formation, and ensure that less common items are used with proper stylistic awareness and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a limited range of structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are noticeable, frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that can cause difficulty for the reader. Issues include subject-verb agreement problems such as 'an individual make', awkward dependent prepositions like 'way to lead the nation on the way to', punctuation spacing errors, and incorrect verb forms such as 'every student want' and 'can performe well'. To reach the next band, the writer must demonstrate better control over complex sentence structures, ensure accurate subject-verb agreement, and eliminate frequent basic errors in punctuation and tense usage.

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.