Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-22

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In many parts of the world girls and boys are educated together in co-educational or mixed schools. Some people think that girls and boys benefit from being educated separately in single-sex schools. To what extent do you agree with this view?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience. Write at least 250 words.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

It is often argued that boys and girls should be educated separately in single-sex schools rather than studying together. While I agree that single-sex education can provide greater privacy and emotional security for young people, I also believe that co-educational schools offer important benefits, particularly in developing interpersonal skills and preparing students for their future lives.

To begin with, mixed schools provides the students with the opportunity to build interpersonal skills. This is primarily because girls and boys interact with each other on a daily basis which prepares them for the real world. If opposite genders communicate and share their ideas effectively with eachother in a group project, it can build their confidence and cognitive skills. For example, a girl and a boy working on an gender equality assignment both of them will have different perspective regarding the topic, this can help in widening eachother's knowledge and intellectual level. As a result, studying in co-educational schools prepares them for professional world because workplace requires people to interact with both male and female.

On the contrary, single-sex schools provide privacy and emotional safety to both the genders.

More precisely, both girls and boys are growing physically and mentally; owing to that, they will hit puberty in schools such as females can get their menstural cycle and boys may bully or tease the opposite gender because boys lack empathy and maturity to handle this topic respectfully. However, if girls are in a single-sex environment they often feel a sense of shared experience and privacy. For instance, cruel comments about body features from the opposite sex can deeply wound a young person's self-esteem. Therefore, single-gender schools can act as a protective bubble against certain types of body dysmorphia and intense insecurity.

In conclusion, both co-educational and single-sex schools have their own advantages. Although educating boys and girls separately can provide greater privacy and emotional comfort during adolescence, studying together can help students develop essential interpersonal skills and prepare them for interactions in the professional world. Therefore, I partly agree that students can benefit from single-sex education, but I believe that mixed schools also provide significant advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both sides of the argument and clearly stating a position in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant and supported with explanations and examples, such as the discussion on interpersonal skills and the emotional safety provided by single-sex schools. The position is maintained throughout the response, and the arguments are adequately extended, meeting the requirements for a Band 7 performance under this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with a clear overall progression. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, moving from the introduction to the benefits of co-educational schools, then to the advantages of single-sex institutions, and finally to a balanced conclusion. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, such as 'To begin with,' 'On the contrary,' and 'In conclusion,' though some referencing and linking could be smoother in places. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately throughout.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'interpersonal skills,' 'cognitive skills,' 'body dysmorphia,' and 'emotional comfort.' However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'mixed schools provides' (subject-verb agreement error stemming from vocabulary handling) and 'widening eachother\'s knowledge.' Despite these minor slips, communication is clear and the range is sufficient for the requirements.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several good examples of complex forms, such as 'While I agree that single-sex education can provide greater privacy...'. However, grammatical errors persist throughout, including subject-verb agreement issues like 'mixed schools provides,' missing articles ('for professional world'), and punctuation errors like comma splices ('working on an gender equality assignment both of them will have...'). These errors do not impede overall communication, placing the response solidly in the Band 6 range.

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

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