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)

Few individuals believe that a lot of time is used on studying facts in all stages of education, from primary education center to universities rather then on learning practical skills. Although agree with this notion to some extent , I believe that opposing view is also valid.

To commence with the former one , students are given theorical knowledge. To explicate this, learners at school level are given theoretical knowledge. They are taught to revise from there chapters line by line just by understanding those written contents. There knowledge is also tested by the written or oral tests of those contents. For example, the results in 2025 of test level at schools had shown they have more theoretical knowledge of there topics rather practically dealing with them. Hence, schools just focus on teaching there students to some point by just explaining them.

Shifting towards the later notion, universities provide practical knowledge rather then just teaching to the schoolers. In other words, learners are trained for every topic. They are taught practically by giving training by doing experiments in the labs. For example, at universities or colleges students are taught in labs rather then in normal classes by expressing real life skills to use in future directly as doctors or engineers. Therefore, higher education campuses offer practical skills to schoolers.

In conclusion, to some extent I agree in some field of education to much time is spent on teaching facts theoretically just at school level, while I also believe universities focus on teaching practically to students for directly implementing in their fields rather then teaching to just learn those topics.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the balance between theoretical facts and practical skills. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. The argument is repetitive, and the examples provided, such as the 'results in 2025', are vague and lack sufficient depth to fully support the points made. While a position is stated, the distinction between school-level and university-level education is a bit simplistic, and the essay does not fully explore the nuances of the prompt, such as whether this trend is inherently negative or positive across all levels. To improve, you should provide more specific, well-reasoned arguments and clearer examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'To commence with' and 'Shifting towards'. There are also issues with referencing; for example, the transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, and the logical progression within paragraphs is hindered by awkward phrasing. While the essay is coherent overall, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the occasional confusion in referencing prevent it from reaching a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher score. There are several instances of word-choice errors and confusion, such as using 'schoolers' to refer to university students and 'theorical' instead of 'theoretical'. Additionally, there are persistent spelling errors, such as 'there' instead of 'their' and 'rather then' instead of 'rather than'. To improve, focus on learning the correct collocations and refining your spelling, as these errors occasionally impede the flow of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and attempts at complex sentences are often marred by grammatical errors. There are frequent mistakes in subject-verb agreement, article usage, and prepositional phrases. For example, 'there knowledge is also tested' should be 'their knowledge'. The sentence construction is often clunky, which makes the writing feel less natural. To achieve a higher score, you need to demonstrate better control over complex structures and reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors, particularly regarding homophones like 'their/there' and 'than/then'.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.