Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

It is often argued that educational institutions put more emphasis on theory-based learning without having any practical use of that knowledge. I strongly agree with this sentiment because I believe bookish knowledge is essential, but there is a need for schools to bring a balance between academic studies and hands-on practice for future career prospects.

The reason behind this is that all education levels have been consistently feeding scholars with the concept of cramming the contents, and this is not a new thing for majority as everybody is obsessed with getting the best academic performance reward which not only boost them with confidence, but also kept them in the same loop forever. For example, rot memorization could assist in getting the score we needed for our qualifying exam, and then a high paying job, however now it turns the table because you do not have the basic practical analysis for bringing those contents into your work.

The main point why I believe practical expertise is the utmost thing when we have to gain technical and workspace skills. technical knowledge mean when you are doing coding in your universities, it should not be only be based on what you cram and write for your exam, it should be more about is it working the way you want or do you know , to exemplify, how to write the code differently to build the same website with uniqueness. That is somewhere everybody is lacking as this needs constant practice and problem solving skills. Having a co-op subject and real-world client for a group who can work altogether for can be a deal-breaker as this will bring their critical thinking with well-rounded education.

In conclusion, I argue that there should be an equilibrium between education via books and applying this through its practical use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt clearly, maintaining a consistent position throughout. The ideas are relevant, particularly the focus on the limitations of rote memorization and the need for practical application in technical fields. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the second paragraph introduces the issue of 'cramming', the explanation of why this is problematic could be more nuanced. The third paragraph provides a concrete example regarding coding, which strengthens the argument. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more specific real-world examples or deeper analysis of the consequences of the current educational system.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. The introduction sets the stage, the body paragraphs explore the 'why' and 'how', and the conclusion summarizes the position. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'The reason behind this is', 'For example', and 'In conclusion'. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'That is somewhere everybody is lacking'. Additionally, the flow between sentences within the second paragraph is occasionally disrupted by grammatical issues, which makes the progression of ideas feel slightly less smooth than required for a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'equilibrium', 'well-rounded', and 'cramming'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and awkward phrasing, such as 'feeding scholars with the concept of cramming' and 'turns the table'. These minor inaccuracies do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of the argument. To improve, the student should focus on more natural collocations and avoid slightly informal or repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the student attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb tense consistency ('kept them in the same loop') and subject-verb agreement ('technical knowledge mean'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some run-on sentences that lack proper clause separation. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they are frequent enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and tense consistency would significantly improve the score.

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

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