Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-13

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 6.5)

These days many students prefer to study independently on self-study basis rather than seeking guidance from their teacher. Although self learning improves basic skills, expert guidance is required to have subject command. I believe students must attend schools and colleges, where a disciplined learning environment is provided.

First of all, teachers have strong command on their subjects. Self learning alone, cannot become a substitute to their expertise. Students who stay at home and self learn find it difficult to learn English as they do not have any dedicated space and time to learn. Schools and colleges provide a learning space, where classes are scheduled, experts are present and you must attend every lecture. To illustrate, a dedicated study space can make English easy to learn and speak.

The other major advantage is annual and monthly assessments. Students studying on their own do not have the facility to assess whether, they have learned right or wrong. Teachers in colleges and universities arrange monthly tests and annual exams. Students participate and get their marks. Moreover, teachers identify their mistakes and guide them to rectify. Although students are more flexible at self learning, they can not assess their performance. For instance, students getting monthly assessments about English, can improve it in days while those studying independently can not do so.

Overall, self learning provides students flexibility to learn and practice on their own schedule but expert guidance, assistance and supervision are vital to have command over English. A suitable study environment is pivotal for students as it provides them a dedicated space to study and become expert in their subjects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you favour teacher-led study because it offers expertise, structure and assessment. These are relevant reasons, and the examples of scheduled classes and monthly tests help explain your view. You also acknowledge the flexibility of independent learning, so the response considers both sides. However, the discussion does not fully engage with the specific difficulty of managing one’s studies without a teacher: the points about dedicated space and compulsory attendance focus more on the benefits of institutions than on how learners can organise or monitor their own study. Some claims, such as that students at home lack a dedicated space, are broad and would benefit from qualification or a concrete example. Develop this contrast more fully to make the argument more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay is organised clearly, with an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate reasons, and a conclusion that restates your position. Progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “First of all,” “The other major advantage,” and “Overall” guide the reader through the argument. You also use contrast markers, including “Although” and “Moreover,” to connect related points. To make the cohesion more flexible, avoid relying so heavily on explicit paragraph-opening phrases and strengthen links between claims and their explanations. For example, the shift from teachers’ subject expertise to the need for a dedicated study space could be made more explicit. In the assessment paragraph, clarify what “it” refers to in “can improve it in days” so the reference is precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “disciplined learning environment,” “dedicated space,” “assessments,” “supervision,” and “flexibility.” These choices communicate the main ideas and show attempts to use more formal language. Some less natural collocations and word choices limit precision, however: “have subject command” is awkward, “learned right or wrong” does not express the intended meaning clearly, and “improve it in days” is vague. “Self learning” and “self-study” are also used inconsistently; choose one form and use it consistently. Replacing these phrases with more idiomatic academic expressions, and varying repeated words such as “students” and “learn,” would make the vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses beginning “Although” and “where,” and most sentences remain understandable. Some grammatical errors persist, but they rarely prevent the reader from following your argument. For example, the opening says “on self-study basis” rather than “on a self-study basis,” and “Self learning alone, cannot” has an unnecessary comma between the subject and verb. In “whether, they have learned,” the comma is also misplaced; “whether they have learned” is correct. There are further issues with modal forms and sentence construction in “they can not assess” and “students getting monthly assessments … can improve it.” Review articles, punctuation around clauses, and the structure of participial phrases to improve accuracy while retaining your sentence variety.

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

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