Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-09

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 7.0)

Too much debate is going on these days about whether students are spending more time and resources on learning factual information rather than learning in-hand skills that could help them in the future. I strongly agree with the latter view, as not only would these skills help the learners to ace their courses but also prepare them for future challenges.

On the one hand, those who support scholars should learn facts and argue that they believe that learning facts is the foundation of thinking. This is because the cognitive abilities of a person could only be developed by storing information in the brain. For example, children start to react to situations when they learn about the results or consequences. Additionally, many of the courses rely heavily on assessing and marking the answer sheets on the basis of information mentioned in them. Therefore, they believe to score good marks it is important to learn facts.

On the other hand, proponents of learning about functional abilities believe that it would be beneficial for an individual in their careers. This is primarily because of those students who had been taught about the procedures of giving interviews or about financial literacy, proven to be more successful in their early stages of careers in comparison to those who had not. Also, the employers prioritise offering jobs to those who are critical thinkers and have good communication skills. I believe that this view is more convincing because operational skills expand the chances of getting successful in the future, be it in the job market or setting up businesses.

In conclusion, although remembering factual information has certain advantages, I believe that a practical approach should be taught in education centres is more beneficial because this will equipp the individuals' with necessary skills for the long-run and career aspects.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The introduction sets the stage well, and the body paragraphs provide relevant arguments for both sides before justifying the author's stance. The ideas are extended and supported with examples, such as financial literacy and interview procedures. However, the development could be slightly more nuanced; for instance, the discussion on 'facts' as a foundation for thinking is a strong point but could be elaborated further to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-focused and directly answers the question asked.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the transition between the two sides of the argument is smooth, using phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. Cohesive devices are used effectively, though there is occasional minor awkwardness in phrasing, such as 'those who support scholars should learn facts and argue that they believe'. Despite this, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the flow of information is easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient for the task and allows for some precision. The student uses relevant terms such as 'cognitive abilities', 'financial literacy', and 'operational skills'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'learning in-hand skills' (should be 'practical' or 'hands-on') and 'getting successful' (should be 'achieving success'). However, these errors do not impede communication. The range is adequate to convey the intended meaning clearly, though more sophisticated or idiomatic expressions would be required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over grammar, but some errors persist, such as 'this will equipp the individuals' with' (incorrect verb form and punctuation) and 'proponents of learning about functional abilities believe that it would be beneficial' (slightly clunky). While complex structures are attempted, they are not always perfectly executed. However, the errors are infrequent and do not cause difficulty for the reader, and the majority of sentences are clear and grammatically sound.

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