Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-04

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)

It has been observed that most of the people thinks that the time period from kindergarten till higher studies is just the wastage of time as they only give attention to the learning facts rather than the practical skills .I personally believe that practical skills should be taught more than learning facts as it clarifies all the things in better way and helps to understand and learn well .Therefore , ahead of my opinion,both the views will be discussed further .

Examining the former opinion ,the primary argument the supporters would put forward is that practical skills should be taught more in the beginning till higher studies as i also personally believe this because practical facts makes the learning topic more clearly explained than the learning facts rather.In addition,it also clears all the doubts and the reason behind the thing why ot happened.For instance ,in the subject of biology if the instructor told us about what is the microorganism they just give us the definition but if they showed us in the laboratory and under the microscope we are able to see the picture of the microorganism and it will be easy to remember.

On the contrary, some thinks that learning facts makes the learning easy and it is not the wastage of time. .As they thinks because they just feel that students can easily grab the things and the students don’t pay any attention while doing practical.

To conclude this , there are convincing arguments both for and against that practical skills plays an integral role in students life as it os not the wastage of time but on the other hands learning is also the best part ..I certainly favour the former statement personally.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of practical skills. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you provide a relevant example regarding biology, the explanation of the opposing view is underdeveloped and lacks depth. The essay tends to repeat the same points rather than extending them. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph provides a distinct, well-supported argument that directly contributes to your overall position. The conclusion is also somewhat repetitive and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as 'Therefore , ahead of my opinion' and 'On the contrary, some thinks'. There are issues with referencing and logical flow between sentences. For example, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is abrupt. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help create a smoother progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher score. There is frequent repetition of basic terms like 'learning facts' and 'practical skills'. Some word choices are unnatural or incorrect, such as 'grab the things' and 'the reason behind the thing why ot happened'. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetitive phrasing and to express your ideas with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally impede readability. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('most of the people thinks', 'some thinks'), missing articles, and incorrect punctuation spacing. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors prevent the text from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining sentence structure will significantly improve your score.

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

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