Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-26

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that in all levels of education, from primary schools to universities, too much time is spent on learning facts and not enough on learning practical skills.

Do you agree or disagree?

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

 

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Some people believe that in academic education from schooling to universities much of the time is spent on learning theoretical facts than practical skills. Even I strongly believe that current education system is focusing much on learning facts than teaching the practical skills to face the future in the real world.

To start with, current education system is focusing majorly on grades . This means students are made to byheart academic lessons and get good marks in the exams. Even to pursue higher studies in good universities, they are taking admissions on previous academic grades. As a result, parents are enrolling students in schools focusing on academic theoretical stuff.

On the other hand, to survive in the real world, real practical time skills are outmost important. This means, once studies are completed, real time job industry requires candidates with practical skills than with higher grades. For instance, during university Google campus placement, they selected candidates with just 70% marks than merit ones as they possessed more real-time knowledge. Therefore, schools/universities should focus majorly on real-time skills for the benefit of students.

In conclusion, although academic theoretical learning is important for grades, I strong believe that schools and colleges should focus on teaching practical skills to survive in the real-world industry.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position, but it fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, coming in at 210 words. This significantly limits the development of ideas. While the main arguments regarding the focus on grades versus practical skills are relevant, they are under-developed. The essay lacks sufficient depth and specific examples to fully explore the implications of the topic. To improve, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and perhaps a second example to ensure you meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To start with', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to signal the progression of ideas. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes a bit mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, which helps the reader follow your argument. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the transition between your points feels more natural and less formulaic.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, but it is somewhat repetitive and lacks sophistication. Phrases like 'academic theoretical stuff' and 'byheart' (which is non-standard) are informal or imprecise. You rely on basic vocabulary to convey your points. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more academic collocations and precise terminology related to education and professional development. For example, instead of 'good marks', use 'academic excellence' or 'high scholastic achievement'. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you express your ideas with greater precision and impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder the flow. Examples include 'much of the time is spent on learning theoretical facts than' (incorrect comparative structure) and 'they are taking admissions' (incorrect verb usage). There are also issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents a higher score. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like subject-verb agreement and correct comparative forms.

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