Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-12

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

A huge number of students choose to study English independently on a self- study basis rather than attend a formal course. However, without the assistance of a teacher, students often find it difficult to manage their studies.

To what extent do you agree or disagree ?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The concept of studying English independently has recently become a contentious topic. Yet, there remains some disagreements as to whether formal course is better than studying independently. While some argue that self-study primarily advantages students, I personally believe that formal lessons' advantages outnumber self-study's.

Proponents of the perspective that independent study provides numerous benefits present several cogent arguments to support their stance. In fact, modern technologies offer many materials and online lessons to language learners. For instance, there remain a lot of videos on YouTube that helps to learn English. Furthermore, self-study reduces expenditures on English courses and transport services. In other words, When I studied English by myself, I didn't spend extra on transport, food, and monthly payment to my teacher.

Conversely, those who advocate for the view that pupils learn English better with teachers provide a range of counterarguments. Notably, people can always ask for help, when they do not understand the topic, from teachers, that they cannot do on self-study. To illustrate, I receive a feedback from my teacher every lesson, and improve my skills. However, when I studied without him, I had difficulties to understand the topic. Additionally, there are many other pupils in the class that can support you in improving speaking skills. A pertinent example is me, before I joined to the English course I had no one to speak with, and improve my speaking, but, after I joined, I always have my friend speak with me.

In conclusion, while the shift towards independent English study is a testament to the flexibility of modern learning, it undeniably magnifies the challenges of course management and the absence of expert guidance. I largely agree that most learners require the structural and feedback mechanisms inherent in formal instruction, as the latent risk of disorganization and error fossilization is significant. Nevertheless, for the autonomous and tech-savvy few, self-study can be meticulously engineered to achieve remarkable proficiency. Ultimately, the efficacy of self-study hinges on the learner's ability to impose structure and seek feedback, a skill that, ironically, is often best cultivated by a teacher.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both sides of independent study versus formal courses and clearly states a personal position in the introduction, concluding with a nuanced view. The ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning the cost benefits of self-study and the interactive advantages of classrooms, incorporating personal examples like 'When I studied English by myself...'. While some arguments tend to generalise or rely on anecdotal evidence, the main aspects of the prompt are well-covered. The response meets all criteria for a Band 7 performance, maintaining a clear position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing both perspectives, and a comprehensive conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Furthermore', 'Conversely', and 'Additionally'. However, there are some minor mechanical uses and slight unnaturalness in transitions, such as 'In fact, modern technologies offer...' and comma splices in complex sentences like 'To illustrate, I receive a feedback from my teacher every lesson, and improve my skills.' These features align well with the Band 6.5 or 7 descriptors; overall, it achieves a clear logical flow and warrants a Band 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'contentious topic', 'cogent arguments', 'expenditures', and 'fossilization'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and article usage, such as 'remain some disagreements', 'formal course' (instead of formal courses), and 'receive a feedback' (feedback is uncountable). Despite these occasional slips, the vocabulary allows the message to be communicated clearly, fitting the Band 6.0 or 6.5 profile well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses ('who advocate for the view that pupils learn English better...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors in punctuation and phrasing, such as unnecessary commas ('before I joined to the English course I had no one...', 'but, after I joined...'), preposition misuse ('joined to'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('there remain some disagreements' where it should be remains or there is disagreement). These errors occasionally distract the reader but do not impede overall communication, placing it solidly in the Band 6 category.

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

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