Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-01

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)

According to some individuals, educational institutions emphasize more on teaching theoretically instead of a practical approach in every form of education such as primary, secondary, and higher education. However, I believe that while early education focuses more on teaching facts, tertiary education prioritize on educating students on practical skills. This essay will discuss the reasons behind my perception in the following paragraphs.

To begin with, during early educations, pupils acquire more of basic understanding of core subjects they study. To be more specific, in the curriculum for primary school, most subjects are of different languages, which can be taught better with theoretical approach. To further elaborate, in order to make students familiar with any language, it is essential to teach them about vocabulary, alphabets, grammar and etcetera, which can be taught well by teaching them theoretically since it can familiarize them with the basics. Thus, it is extremely significant for professional teachers to prefer a theoretical approach to foster their cognitive development at an early age.

However, colleges and universities provide hands on skills to educate the students. This is because, now they are dealing with the complex subjects, and learning on facts alone may not be sufficient for their academic growth. For example, in science related subjects, such as Chemistry, Physics, and Biology, students are usually instructed to carry out hands on experiments in laboratories in order to learn the concepts. This would not have been possible without the practical approach.

To conclude, although early education provide more factual information, higher education emphasize on practical ways to educate the students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that differentiates between early and tertiary education. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you provide a clear example for higher education (science experiments), the explanation for primary education is slightly repetitive and lacks depth regarding the 'practical skills' mentioned in the prompt. To improve, ensure that you fully explore the counter-argument or the implications of your position. The conclusion is also quite brief and could be expanded to better summarize the main points presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'To further elaborate', and 'However' to guide the reader through your argument. While the progression is generally clear, some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally slightly imprecise, such as in the phrase 'most subjects are of different languages', which is a bit vague. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the flow of ideas is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'educational institutions', 'cognitive development', and 'curriculum'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'emphasize more on teaching theoretically' (should be 'emphasize theoretical teaching') and 'educate the students' (which is slightly repetitive). You also use 'etcetera' in a formal essay, which should be avoided in favor of more precise phrasing. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and avoid repeating the same phrases across paragraphs.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'tertiary education prioritize on' (subject-verb agreement error: 'prioritizes'), 'early educations' (should be 'early education'), and 'provide more factual information' (should be 'provides'). Additionally, the use of articles is occasionally inconsistent. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and pluralization will help improve your accuracy.

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