Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-24

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 few individuals believe that in all stages of education, from junior learning institutions to universities, excessive time is imposed on learning the facts and figures. However, not give emphasis on giving practical based things. Owing to various reasons I entirely accord with this notion which would be elucidated ahead.

Most importantly, due to strict order followed by tutors in order to complete the large curriculum. This is because that the school management have only one responsibility that is to accomplish the syllabus relating to their education. Moreover, these educational departments do this to keep their reputation in society for showing the higher concentration on learning as they spend their whole time in preparing students to become good learner. Despite this, they do not or hardly engage kids in co-curricular activities. As a result, the scholars would become lazy and lethargic and do not keep an eye on their health.

Additionally, the administration thinks that doing focus on education is quite significant than sports. The reason for the same is that they consider that sports is a worst thing and do not accept it as a part of student's life. Moreover, sometimes if any kid showcase their interest in physical activities then educational institutes do not encourage them and scold them and pressurize them to do focus in studies only. Therefore, undergraduates are not able to sharpen their practical skills and hide their sports-talents.

To conclude, due to high curriculum and not giving equality to physical activities. I am convinced that learning institutes spend most time in academics rather than sports.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of practical skills over factual learning. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention that schools prioritize curriculum to maintain reputation, the argument remains repetitive. The examples provided, such as the claim that schools consider sports a 'worst thing,' are generalizations that lack depth or nuance. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, well-supported examples of how practical skills could be integrated into the curriculum or why the current focus on facts is specifically detrimental to students' future prospects.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Most importantly,' 'Additionally,' and 'To conclude' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions are awkward, such as 'Despite this, they do not or hardly engage kids.' The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the connection between the ideas within paragraphs could be smoother. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will help improve the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'elucidated,' 'curriculum,' and 'co-curricular activities.' However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations, such as 'excessive time is imposed on learning,' 'practical based things,' and 'sports is a worst thing.' These errors occasionally impede the natural flow of your writing. To improve, focus on learning common collocations and using more precise academic vocabulary rather than relying on informal phrasing. Your spelling is generally accurate, but the lack of precision in word choice limits your score.

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 affect readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('school management have'), missing articles, and sentence fragments ('However, not give emphasis on giving practical based things'). Some sentences are poorly constructed, such as 'The reason for the same is that they consider that sports is a worst thing.' While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence structure prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic errors is essential.

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