Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-23

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)

Education plays the major role in each and everyone's life. There are so many methods of teaching and the main two methods are, 1. Theoritical and 2. Practical. I am going to talk about both methods and will explain my side according to my experience.

On the one hand, some people believes that Practical knowledge is more important than theory. According to my personal experience I would say Theory is very important in a education pathway. For example, when I was in my school, teachers made me learn some basic knowledge. In the beginning, I learned T for tree. after that I got to learn what is the tree? how it looks like?. Later after that, I understood the purpose of having a tree, pros and cons about it. That was all theory kinds of learning.

On the other hand, If i talk about practical knowledge and skills. here is an example of it, I was taught by a teacher that what is the process to generate oxyzon? and how can a tree release carbon dioxide? We perform a practical to understand it deeply with help of plastic bag, tie it on the branch of tree so that after sometime we could see the carbon dioxide and the effect on those leaves, whose were in that bag.

In the conclusion, primary schools to university, there is a particular method of learning by which a student can get theory knowledge first and then can apply for practical ones. I would say it is not wasting time to learn facts at all. Both methods are important in a students growth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the balance between theory and practical skills. However, the development is limited. While you provide personal examples, such as learning about trees, the argument remains somewhat superficial. The prompt asks for your opinion on whether 'too much time' is spent on facts; your response touches on this but lacks a deep analysis of the educational system as a whole. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the implications of this balance in higher education versus primary schooling, rather than focusing primarily on personal anecdotes. The position is clear, but the supporting ideas need more depth and academic focus.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your structure. You use basic cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' to signal shifts in your argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt. Some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'whose were in that bag,' which disrupts the logical progression of your example. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified topic sentence would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'major role,' 'good,' and 'important.' There are also some noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'Theoritical' instead of 'theoretical' and 'oxyzon' instead of 'oxygen.' While your meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated vocabulary or collocations limits your score. To improve, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary related to education and pedagogy, and pay closer attention to spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. For example, 'some people believes' (subject-verb agreement), 'in a education pathway' (article usage), and 'how it looks like?' (incorrect question structure). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas and capitalization. While you attempt complex sentences, the control over them is inconsistent. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy, such as subject-verb agreement and correct article usage, will significantly improve your clarity and overall score.

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

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