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)

Education is very curial for everyone in a life. Some people believe that in every stage of life children mainly focus on academic skills as compared to practical skills, while, others argue that practical skills are also has same importance in education. According to my opinion, both view have a their logical arguments which i will discuss in the upcoming paragraphs before giving my own opinion.

The first and foremost point which i would like to discuss is that to theoretical education has remarkable impact on children's career. The main reason behind this is academic knowledge helps people to make better future as it help to get high paid jobs. For example, doctors, engineers and teachers requires good qualification and knowledge.

Another hand, practical skills are equally important. The main point behind this is people with practical skills often build their career without get help from anyone. An explanation can be taking by giving an example of players they set their career goals by knowing their practical skills at school and collages.

In conclusion, theoretical and practical knowledge help to make your career successful. In my opinion, schools and universities should focus on both thing equally so that children's can make their future better.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 204 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas, as the arguments remain superficial and lack sufficient supporting evidence or examples. While you have addressed the prompt by discussing both theoretical and practical education, the lack of depth and the failure to meet the length constraint mean the task is only partially addressed. To improve, you must expand your body paragraphs with more detailed explanations and specific, illustrative examples to fully explore the implications of your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'The first and foremost point', 'Another hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, the transitions are sometimes mechanical or grammatically awkward, such as 'Another hand' instead of 'On the other hand'. Furthermore, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that the relationship between ideas is more explicitly stated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'curial' (likely meant 'crucial') and 'both thing' (should be 'both things'). The phrasing is often repetitive, and there is a lack of less common lexical items. To improve, focus on learning collocations and synonyms for common words like 'important' or 'help'. Proofreading for spelling errors like 'collages' (should be 'colleges') is also essential to ensure clarity.

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. Examples include 'practical skills are also has same importance' (subject-verb agreement), 'i will discuss' (capitalization), and 'children's can make' (incorrect pluralization). Punctuation is also inconsistent. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents a higher score. Focus on mastering subject-verb agreement, proper article usage, and consistent capitalization to improve your accuracy.

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

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