Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-21

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)

Some individual's have a notion that students, in all format of education from primary schools until graduation spend a lot of time on learning theory rather than practicing real life experiences. Which is very true and I won't disagree. In this essay we will discuss both the sides of a coin.

Firstly, many Asian countries such as, India and china have highly educated but unemployed population. why because from a very young age, children only have books to read and no scope of practical learning.

Secondly, the education system of many nations are created in such a way that fact is given more importance than having practical skills. For example in my own personal experience when I was a kid, I have only studied in my school until university. But, after my graduation is finished. I started applying for full time job, job description ask for experiences but unfortunately most of the population have to write false information to land a job.

Some countries such as Canada for example is more towards practical skill development. However, facts are also very important part of life. I believe education systems should give priority to both the skills. For instance, learning about CPR and then performing CPR in a model is how we should be taught.

To conclude, Some countries are more focused on theory knowledge only like India and China. While Canada on the other hand is more of a practical believer. In my knowledge and experiences I believe both are equally important.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that both theory and practical skills are important. However, the development of ideas is limited. The essay relies on generalizations about entire countries (e.g., India and China) without providing nuanced analysis. The personal anecdote regarding job applications is relevant but lacks sufficient depth to fully support the argument. The conclusion is somewhat repetitive and does not add new insight. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your reasoning with more specific examples and ensure that the balance between theory and practice is explored in greater detail rather than just stated.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, the phrase 'Which is very true and I won't disagree' is a sentence fragment that disrupts the flow. Transitions like 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' are used, but the logical progression between sentences is sometimes weak, particularly in the second paragraph where the link between unemployment and the lack of practical learning is asserted but not clearly explained. Paragraphing is present but the internal structure of the paragraphs needs more logical connectivity.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'all format of education' (should be 'all levels of education') and 'practical believer'. The repetition of basic words like 'facts' and 'skills' limits the range. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary or idiomatic expressions keeps the score in the mid-range. Focusing on collocations and more academic terminology would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Some individual's have', 'education system... are created'), punctuation errors, and sentence fragments ('Why because...'). The use of complex structures is attempted but often results in errors that can cause the reader some difficulty. For example, 'when I was a kid, I have only studied in my school until university' contains tense inconsistencies. While the basic meaning is conveyed, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents a higher score.

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

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