Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-17

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 5.0)

This is a comparative opinion and different for parents relating to this fact. I argue that this is a true opinion because the kids start school early as they turn 4 years old. I consider our kids very young at this age and they can spend one more year in a nursery playing with the other kids.

Regarding my knowledge I can make a difference between England and the countries from UE or from my native country, Romania. The kids start school in Romania at the age of 5. This is a challenge for their parents and in same time, this is a game for children because it will not be like a real school. Teachers prepare our kids for school playing and trying to not be very stressfull for them. What happened in Romania it exists everywhere in Union European.

I will give a personal example; my daughter is 6 years old and she starts year 2 in September this year. If we lived in Romania, she would be supposed to be in year 1, starting to learn new things normal for her age. This is a real and rerasonable example known from my life.

Of course, I don't have negative feelings about the school in UK. They have different rules and important for kids and their parents. We must follow them and try to engage with the education and what they do for our children.

Because I have 2 children and we live in UK for 10 years, I would say that I trust and I am happy for us to be here after those years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You state a position—“I argue that this is a true opinion”—and give relevant personal context about starting school at different ages in the UK and Romania. However, the response only minimally addresses the full task. It does not clearly explain whether primary schools focus too much on formal learning, and the comparison of school starting ages does not establish how much formal learning children receive. Most importantly, the second question—how important play is alongside learning in the classroom—is not directly answered or supported with examples of its educational value. Your final comments express satisfaction with UK education but do not develop your argument. To strengthen the response, answer both questions explicitly and explain your reasons with specific classroom examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a basic sequence: an opening opinion, a comparison between Romania and the UK, a personal example, and a concluding comment. Paragraph breaks and signposts such as “Regarding my knowledge” and “I will give a personal example” help identify these stages. However, the ideas do not build into a clear overall argument: the discussion moves from school starting ages to your daughter’s year group, then to general acceptance of UK rules, without showing how each point supports the view about formal learning and play. Some links are also unclear, particularly “What happened in Romania it exists everywhere in Union European.” Use a clearer paragraph plan, with one paragraph for your position and another explaining the role of play, and make the connections between examples and claims explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate personal experiences and the topic, including “nursery,” “teachers,” “education,” and “playing.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “prepare our kids for school” and “engage with the education.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are unnatural or unclear, which sometimes makes the reader work to understand your meaning. For example, “a game for children” does not clearly express that school is made less formal through play, and “different for parents relating to this fact” is difficult to interpret. Spelling errors such as “stressfull” and “rerasonable” also affect accuracy. Build a wider set of precise terms for classroom learning, play, and child development, and check spelling and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer structures, including “I argue that this is a true opinion because…” and “If we lived in Romania, she would be supposed to be in year 1.” These attempts show some range, and the main meaning is often recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence construction, tense, articles, and agreement recur. For instance, “This is a comparative opinion and different for parents” is not a complete, clear grammatical construction, while “The kids start school in Romania at the age of 5” shifts awkwardly from the present to the later past-tense account. “What happened in Romania it exists everywhere” also has faulty clause structure. Practise forming clear complex sentences and check that each clause has an appropriate subject and verb.

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