Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-30

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 6.5)

It is widely believed that every educational institutions utilize most of the time in teaching facts rather than practical skills. I also agree with the statement because theoretical study is the foundation of a practical skill.

One reason why students spend more and more time in schools and universities in learning facts is the basic knowledge. They not only gain information about hou a particular skill could be developed but they also come across the ways in which something could be done better. Many skills such as Construction and Automobile can only be learnt properly if someone has gone through the theoretical knowledge about those. As a result, students often spend many years in colleges and universities in order to get theoretical knowledge.

Utilizing time in schools and universities is also beneficial for learning techniques of famous people who wrote those in the books. Although, many educational books are there to educate students, books published by pioneers of a specific field are also available for children, which helps students in order to learn from their ways of doing things and from their warnings as well. Scientifically proven formulas are there for students which could be learnt first before going to a practical field. So, students prefer to spend time in educational institutions rather than getting hands on experience.

To sum up, spending time in order to learn facts in schools and universities can help students in learning basic knowledge and personal experiences of scientific people which would further help them to perform efficiently on practical fields.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you state your agreement, the argument remains focused on the necessity of theory rather than directly addressing the 'too much time' vs 'not enough practical skills' debate. The examples provided, such as 'Construction and Automobile', are relevant but could be expanded to better illustrate the balance between theory and practice. To reach a higher band, ensure you explicitly discuss the trade-off between these two educational approaches rather than just justifying the existence of theoretical study. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack depth and specific real-world evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'As a result' and 'To sum up', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. For instance, the start of the second and third paragraphs could be linked more fluidly to the introduction. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to show contrast or addition more effectively. Overall, the progression of ideas is coherent, but the cohesion could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'theoretical study', 'pioneers', and 'efficiently'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'every educational institutions' (should be 'every educational institution' or 'all educational institutions') and 'scientific people' (a more natural term would be 'experts' or 'scientists'). You attempt to use some less common vocabulary, which is good, but the overall range is somewhat limited. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing when discussing educational concepts.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use some complex sentences, there are recurring grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement ('every educational institutions utilize') and minor punctuation issues (e.g., the unnecessary comma after 'Although'). These errors do not impede communication, but they do occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to pluralization and article usage. Increasing the variety of complex structures, such as using more conditional sentences or passive voice constructions, would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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