Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-12

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)

There is an ongoing debate about the focus of the primary school's education to be too formal. I disagree with this statement as I believe that a child should first learn about all the different fields of knowledge and later choose to study a specific category of their own choice.

Firstly, a child has no informationon about the different sectors of knowldege and need to learn and navigate through them to find which one interests them and which one they have a command over. For example, research shows that not many of the undergrade and PhD students show their interest in a specific field as early on as the elementary school. Thus, it goes without a doubt that primary school acts as the stepping stone for a child's initial stage to know about the variety of knowledge available, but not about their future career orientation.

In contrast, some people believe that giving formal knowledge to primary school children is a waste of time and a specilised knowledge should be started as early as possible. They beleive that a child show signs of specific field inclination from an early age and the education system should try to catch and build on it from the get-go. For instance, psychologist have created a set of physical test to guage the preference of a child, Therefore, the educational system should consider the child preferences and start ther educational career based on that preference.

In summary, I believe that the notion of primary education being to formal is completely wrong and an individual subjecting their child to a career field based on their childhood decision is uttelry foolish, as these career decision changes as the child grows and learn more about the world and the varsaility of the knowledege system.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you disagree that primary education is too formal, and you explain that children need broad exposure before choosing a field. The point about career preferences changing as children grow is relevant. However, the response only partly addresses the task because it does not directly explain how important play is alongside learning in the classroom. The discussion instead shifts to whether children should specialise early, which is related but not the same issue. Some support is also under-developed: the claim about research on university students is not explained or substantiated, and the example of psychologists’ tests does not clearly support your main position. Address both questions explicitly and develop each reason with a clear classroom example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “In contrast” and “In summary” help readers follow the broad progression, and each paragraph has a central focus. However, the contrast paragraph introduces the opposing view without clearly showing how it relates to your own argument, and the discussion moves from broad learning to early specialisation rather than developing the question of play. Some links are mechanical, while references such as “that preference” and “this statement” could be more precise. To strengthen progression, organise the body around the two task questions and use linking phrases that explain the relationship between each example and your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “fields of knowledge,” “specific field,” “educational system” and “career orientation,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “stepping stone” and “from the get-go,” though the latter is rather informal for this essay. Accuracy and natural collocation are inconsistent: “informationon,” “knowldege,” “undergrade,” “specialised knowledge” and “varsaility” contain spelling or word-choice problems, while “a child has no information about” is not a natural way to express the idea. Aim for precise, consistently formal phrasing and check spelling carefully. A more varied vocabulary for play-based learning and classroom activities would also help you address the full topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a relative clause in “which one interests them” and a subordinate clause in “as the child grows and learn more.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the paragraph structure helps readability. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with agreement and sentence construction. For example, “a child … need to learn” should use a singular verb, and “a child show signs” also needs subject–verb agreement. In the final sentence, “as the child grows and learn” should keep the verbs parallel, and the long sentence would be clearer if divided. There are also punctuation issues, such as the comma before “Therefore” after “child,” where a full stop or semicolon is needed. Review agreement and sentence boundaries while retaining your complex structures.

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