Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

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)

Nowadays, some people believe that children should focus more on formal learning in primary schools. However, others think that playing is also important for their development. I completely agree that children should have a balance between playing and formal learning.

Firstly, some people think that playing is very important for children to develop mental and physical health.when children play games they feels happy and active.moreover, they learn teamwork and develop social skills. when children play games it release their stress from the school homework. schools should focus on playing games as well as learning. for example,group activities help children how to cooperate with others.

On the other hands , formal education is also important for children. it help them to improve their knowledge ande basic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics.however, if childern study all day they feels bored and stressed. playing play a vital role in childern developments . they easily solve any problem related to study . for example , schools should provide balanced between learning and playing .

In a nutt shell, i completely agree this statement that playing is very important is as learning as primary school. because both activity help childern to develop skills and build a better future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear overall view that children need both formal learning and play, and you include relevant points about health, teamwork, social skills, and basic academic skills. However, the response only partially develops the task: the opening refers to people believing children should focus more on formal learning, rather than accurately presenting the view that schools focus too much on it. The importance of play is discussed more than the extent of your agreement with that criticism, and examples such as group activities are brief and not explained. The conclusion repeats your position but does not add support. The response is 205 words, below the required 250, which limits how fully you can explain and illustrate your ideas. Develop each main point with a specific example and explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

Your response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The paragraphs also group related ideas, with play discussed first and formal education introduced in the next paragraph. Basic linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “moreover,” “however,” and “for example” help show relationships between points. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the sentence about solving study problems appears without a clear link to the preceding point about play. Some transitions are inaccurate or awkward, including “On the other hands,” and the conclusion repeats earlier claims rather than bringing the argument together. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example directly to the claim it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use a relevant set of basic terms for the topic, including “formal learning,” “teamwork,” “social skills,” “reading, writing and mathematics,” and “balanced.” These allow the reader to understand your main ideas. However, the vocabulary range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making meaning less clear. For example, “playing play a vital role” is repetitive, “provide balanced between learning and playing” is not a natural expression, and “In a nutt shell” is an incorrect form of the idiom. Spelling errors such as “childern,” “ande,” and “developments” are also noticeable. Build a wider range of accurate phrases for discussing learning and child development, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, including a conditional idea in “if children study all day they feels bored and stressed.” However, the range of structures remains limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Subject–verb agreement is a recurring problem: “they feels” should be “they feel,” and “it help” should be “it helps.” There are also missing sentence boundaries and capital letters, as in “health.when children play,” and several clauses are joined without appropriate punctuation. The final sentence, “playing is very important is as learning as primary school,” is difficult to interpret because its structure is incomplete. Practise accurate sentence boundaries and basic agreement before adding more complex structures.

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