Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

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)

Some people argue that primary schools emphasis a lot on formal learning and do not give children enough oppartonilies to play. I largey agree with this view because, although academic education is important, piay also piays a vital role in childern development.

To begin with, currently education system at primary school focus too much on formal learning, but it is difficult for children who is at six and ten years. It is hard to them sit for a long-time and focus on one subject. Likewise, young children loss their interests, when their teacher takes books, copybooks and tests. For these reasons, they feel streesed of this formal and traditional learning.

On the other hand, playing games also helps to learn something new for young children. Role games help them as they can understand easily. when cild piays as cashier are will study how to count the numbers and study numeracy similarly, teachers can do team projects or game, which helps children to develop social skills. When, they piay team games children will improve their team works. For example, they might learn how to be leader how to do planes and listen each other's opinions. As a result games help to develop and improve ther young children skill.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a clear position, saying you “largely agree,” and address both formal learning and the value of play. The examples of role-play helping children count and team games developing social skills are relevant to the question. However, these ideas are brief and sometimes unclear, and the response does not fully explain how play should be balanced with classroom learning. The discussion of formal education mainly says that children may lose interest or feel stressed, without developing these points with a specific example or fuller reasoning. The response also contains 207 words, which is below the required 250, so there is limited space to develop the argument. Add explanation and examples to each main point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph about formal learning, and a paragraph about play. Linking phrases such as “To begin with,” “On the other hand,” and “As a result” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within the paragraphs is uneven, and some connections are difficult to follow. For example, the shift from role-play to team projects is abrupt, while “For these reasons” refers to points that are not fully explained. The final sentence repeats the idea that games develop skills rather than providing a clear conclusion. Use clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and add a concluding paragraph that restates your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “formal learning,” “role games,” “social skills,” and “team games.” These choices make the general subject clear. However, the range is limited, and several spelling errors or inaccurate word choices make parts of the response difficult to understand, such as “oppar tonilies,” “streesed,” and “planes” where the intended meaning appears to be planning. Some phrases are also unnatural, including “takes books, copybooks and tests” and “improve their team works.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “classroom instruction,” “cooperative activities,” and “problem-solving skills” would help express your ideas more clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a concession in the introduction (“although academic education is important”) and a reason clause beginning “because.” However, errors are frequent, and some sentences are difficult to interpret. Examples include “education system at primary school focus,” where the subject and verb do not agree, and “It is hard to them sit,” where the sentence pattern is incorrect. The sentence beginning “when child plays as cashier” also lacks clear grammatical structure, and punctuation around sentence openings is inconsistent. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb patterns, then build longer sentences from these reliable forms. Proofreading for sentence boundaries and punctuation will also improve clarity.

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.