Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-12

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 5.5)

A group of people thinks that the amount of time spent on learning facts during school or in higher education takes too much time, because of that students are unable to focus on practical knowledge. I will be discussing in the upcoming peragraphs that why i disagree with this statement.

To begin with, learning about anything starts from learning from bassics and it worked as the foundation, and facts and figures works as the foundation of our knowledge. Facts and figures helps to proove the points during any kind of study or discussion. It is hard to believe that what we are reading or learing is true without knowing the facts. Moreover, theoretical knowledge is very important before jumping into something and doing it without know anything about it. For example, when a person apply for a driving license he need to go through the knowledge test first before the driving test, imagine if the person is allowed to take driving test directly without having the knowledge test, this can cause major issues on the road and also accidents.

However, practical is also very important since, everything can not be learned from books or facts. In order to cook person have to turn on the stove and start cooking rather than just Reading the recipies. Most people learn more when they have their hands on someting as during the theory process people do not realise the problems or issues they can face while actually performing that task.

To conclude with, to some extent i agree with the statement as in many school nowadys focused more on theory rather than practical. Practical knowledge is also as important as the theory and this can be fixed by divinding the time more acurately. So the students can learn consecuenses of doing something during the study and also learn how to do it practically.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the position is inconsistent. In the introduction, you state you disagree with the statement, yet in the conclusion, you state you agree to some extent. This creates confusion regarding your overall stance. While you provide relevant examples, such as the driving test analogy and cooking, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The arguments are relevant but lack depth, and the contradiction in the conclusion prevents the response from reaching a higher band. To improve, ensure your position is clearly defined in the introduction and maintained consistently throughout the essay, ensuring that the conclusion reflects the arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'However' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally hindered by the contradictory conclusion. Furthermore, some transitions are mechanical, and the referencing is sometimes unclear. For example, the phrase 'because of that' in the introduction is slightly awkward. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that each paragraph flows logically from the previous one without contradicting your central thesis.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. There are some spelling errors, such as 'peragraphs', 'bassics', 'proove', 'learing', 'recipies', 'someting', 'nowadys', 'divinding', 'acurately', and 'consecuenses'. These errors are frequent and occasionally distracting, though they do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, you should focus on accuracy in spelling and attempt to use more precise, academic vocabulary rather than relying on simple, repetitive terms. Expanding your range of collocations will also help improve the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('A group of people thinks', 'he need to go', 'everything can not be learned') and awkward phrasing ('why i disagree', 'when a person apply'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices and run-on sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of errors is high enough to impact the flow. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, specifically subject-verb agreement and proper verb tense usage, before attempting more complex structures.

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

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