Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-07

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)

Over the past few decades, there has been a significant shift towards level of education. On that note, a fraction of humankind ponder that alma mater spent too much time on learning facts rather than on learning hands-on skills. I am convinced that giving more time on practical learning is crucial for all individuals. This decision is based on both its long-term effectiveness and its overall impact on the stakeholders involved.

To commence with, the most compelling reason of selecting practical skills is that education plays a pivotal on learning new skills. By prioritizing this approach, not only students will able to learn critical thinking skills but also they will boost in problem-solving skills, which is more significant for them. For instance, having more workshops in lectures can get students to operate machines and also know the function of particular machine that how they actually work rather than in theoretical method. As a result, learning practical skills is essential for success in this situation.

Furthermore, hands-on skills are inherently more advantageous because it will boost the knowledge in practical way. To elaborate, if students have a practical talent then they also have a high chance to crack the interview and get a good job. Unlike the alternate, this strategy fosters morale. Consequently, this ensures that the organization remains aligned with its core objective.

Admittedly, some may argue that learning facts offers minor benefits like it helps student to understand complex ideas much faster. However, this perspective overlooks the fact that it is ultimately unsustainable. Therefore, the benefit of learning practical skills clearly outweigh the minor advantages of the alternative.

To recapitulate, even though leaning facts may seem appealing initially, I firmly reckon that leaning practical skills is vital for students not only in terms of critical skills but also in providing range of knowledge.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments are relevant, though some points are slightly under-developed. For example, the mention of 'stakeholders' and 'organizational objectives' in the third paragraph is somewhat vague and not fully connected to the context of primary schools or universities. While the ideas are extended, the supporting examples, such as the reference to 'operating machines,' could be more specific to the educational context mentioned in the prompt. Overall, the response covers all parts of the task well, but the depth of analysis could be improved to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphing. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with,' 'Furthermore,' and 'To recapitulate,' though some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced. Referencing is generally clear, although the connection between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. The use of cohesive devices is sufficient to guide the reader, but there is room for more sophisticated and varied linking to improve the flow between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. You demonstrate an attempt to use less common items like 'pivotal,' 'inherently,' and 'unsustainable.' However, there are instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'significant shift towards level of education' (which is unclear) and 'a fraction of humankind ponder' (which is unnatural). Additionally, 'alma mater' is used incorrectly to refer to schools in general rather than one's former university. While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the precision and sophistication of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'not only students will able to learn' (missing 'be'), 'the most compelling reason of selecting' (should be 'for'), and 'leaning facts' (repeatedly misspelled as 'leaning' instead of 'learning'). There are also issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement, such as 'the function of particular machine that how they actually work.' While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band for grammatical accuracy.

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

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