Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-05

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)

In my opinion and I strongly agree that all levels of educations, from primary school to universities , there are more time spent on learning facts and not enough time or focus on learning practical skills.

As per our school or universities school syllabus and curriculum many are written for may years back and at that those are theoretical opinions but when those are changed to practical or adapted in day to day life either have limited use or many times are completely far away from the theoretical explanations. One of reason is that at that time, we had limited resources to test those in actual field or practical scenarios and results were not accurate.

If we check and focus our learning syllabus, there are for software programming code wise more details for theoretical and it is mentioned in the books what are the rules and formulas and a structure for those programming. But when we make a filed project depending on if this for a banking system on a large scale or managing a small scale business for inventory details or writing a code for medical purpose in that case we need to change a practical approach to define the rule and many times we need to understand the field or business requirement to fulfill or achieve that task. In absence of any practice use case or if not worked a practical projects during school or universities time in that case will be struggling to complete that project successfully.

It is always give a good confidence and it help us to know a better collective approach to handle the situations or implement the solutions, if there is more practical skills are developed during school or universities learning.

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 an example regarding software programming, the explanation of why theoretical knowledge is less useful is repetitive and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'why' and 'how' of your arguments with more specific, varied examples. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the main points presented in the body paragraphs. Ensure that each paragraph contributes a distinct, well-supported argument to fully develop your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, phrases like 'As per our school' and 'In absence of any practice use case' feel unnatural and disrupt the flow. The transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is abrupt. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') more naturally to connect your ideas and improve the overall logical progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'code wise' and 'far away from the theoretical explanations', which hinder clarity. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle with collocations. To improve, try to incorporate more academic vocabulary related to education and professional development. Focus on using words in their correct context rather than translating directly from your native language, which often leads to unnatural phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'there are more time spent'), incorrect word order, and missing articles. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors prevents the text from reaching a higher band. You should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, specifically checking for pluralization and correct verb tense usage throughout your writing.

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

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