Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-30

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)

Nowadays, there is a argument going on in which few individuals believe that education system should teach more in practical way as compared to learning facts. In upcoming paragraph I will explain why I agree with this statement.

Firstly, I think every student always understand the lessons more easily by practical things as they can easily relate with those in real life. For example, Student will understand more easily the concept of how rainbow occur. If they will be able to see that in real life by playing with water under the sunlight. Secondly, By combining education with real life will make studies more interesting as compared to teaching in theory way.

Furthermore, learners will always remember these topic for their lifetime as they will always see in their education in real life. Moreover, People can easily use the skills on their workplace as well. For Instance, If a person who construct the building so they can use their skills of math and relate with their work. In result they will always get motivated on their work when they will be able to use their higher school education perfectly for their future.

In conclusion, I believe that teaching should be in real life concept as compare to in theoretical method. However, Few people believe if student will learn more by theory method they will get more focused in classes and will able to achieve more grades in their tests. At the end, I would say teaching concepts with relating real life is more crucial for learner for their future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of practical skills. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you provide examples like the rainbow and construction work, the explanation remains superficial. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' of your arguments. For instance, instead of just stating that practical skills are useful in the workplace, explain the long-term economic or cognitive benefits of such an approach. The conclusion introduces a counter-argument, but it is slightly underdeveloped and could have been integrated more smoothly into the body of the essay to strengthen your overall position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and some transitions feel forced. For example, the shift to the counter-argument in the conclusion is abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your referencing (e.g., 'these topic') is grammatically accurate to maintain a smoother logical progression throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'theoretical method' and 'practical skills'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward word choices, such as 'there is a argument going on' (should be 'an argument') and 'teaching in theory way' (should be 'theoretical approach'). To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise collocations and a broader range of academic vocabulary rather than repeating simple phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'student will understand', 'how rainbow occur'), article usage ('the' vs 'a'), and sentence fragments. For example, 'If a person who construct the building so they can use their skills...' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. You should focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like pluralization and verb tense consistency to improve your accuracy.

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

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