Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-14

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 a belief that there is major a focus on formal learning in primary schools. I agree with tis statement in my opinion, children should not be schooled as tradition schooling method. there should be some variation in learning. School should be flexible towards primary children. the child learns fast when his mind is free from burden.

for example, the student of underdeveloped ountries feels the pressure of studying from primary, they dont get the time to play, in return they just focused on study and there is no other intrestor hobby left for them. in developed countries, chiildren are free of pressure in primar school, there physical and mental development occurs, theyplay new things have different experience than the studnt of under developed country. they know their interests, their way of relaxing mind

every student needs break from routine to refresh his mind in order to learn more. no one canlearn continuously in a single go less alone aprimary class child. the child mind works best when it is at rest. the student needs extracurricular activities for its physial and mental growth. for example, if a child in primary only learns how to sit in class, reads and home work he will not be able to grow. he wil not have any interest, in playing, in relaxing, in getting any other hobby. playing grows other abilities like sportsmanship, friendship, pysical wll-being, a sense of other interests. sticking to only studying will just cause pressure and laziness.

therefore, a child should be given equal chnace to play and to learn in primary school. there should nit be any pressure on him in primarty class.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that primary schools can place too much emphasis on formal study, and you argue that children need time to play as well as learn. You address both parts of the question, explaining that play supports physical and mental development and giving examples of pressure on pupils in less-developed countries. These points are relevant, but some are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the comparison between developed and underdeveloped countries is broad and would be stronger with a specific, qualified example. The claim that a child’s mind works best at rest also needs clarification. To develop the response further, explain how classroom play can complement learning and support your position with more precise examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an overall progression from your position, to examples and reasons, and then to a concluding recommendation. Paragraph breaks help separate the main ideas, and phrases such as “for example” and “therefore” signal examples and a conclusion. However, the progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: the comparison between countries moves quickly from study pressure to interests and relaxation without clearly linking each point. Several ideas are repeated, including the need for breaks and the risks of focusing only on study. Some sentences also run together, while others are separated by full stops despite being closely connected. Group related points more deliberately and use clear links between claims, explanations, and examples.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “formal learning,” “extracurricular activities,” “physical and mental growth,” and “sportsmanship.” This gives you enough language to communicate your main ideas. However, the range is limited and some word choices or combinations are unclear or unnatural, such as “tradition schooling method,” “the child learns fast,” and “there is no other intrestor hobby.” Spelling errors, including “underdeveloped,” “chiildren,” and “pysical,” also make parts of the response harder to read. Aim to use more precise education-related phrases and check spelling carefully. For example, describe “traditional schooling methods” and explain that play can develop “social skills” or “interpersonal abilities.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple statements and longer sentences, including explanations with “when” and “in order to.” This shows an effort to connect ideas rather than relying entirely on short sentences. However, control is uneven, and errors in sentence boundaries, articles, agreement, and sentence construction sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow. For example, “I agree with tis statement in my opinion, children should not be schooled…” joins separate ideas incorrectly, while “the student needs extracurricular activities for its…” has an unclear pronoun reference. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent. Practise forming complete sentences, using articles and pronouns accurately, and checking that each sentence has a clear subject and verb.

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

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