Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-07

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 6.5)

Many people belive that the time spent in education system learning facts or theories is more compare to time spent on learning practical skills. I firmly agree to this perspective because the education system is designed on a fixed structure of classroom learning where students just listen or repeat to what the teacher is speaking or presenting instead on experiencing it practically.

To begin with, From nursery to universities the education is designed for students to repeat or memories what is being taught in the classroom. This is largely because the system is designed to teach students discipline, structure and foundation of the domain knowledge with a fixed routine and sitting in one place listening for hours. For example, students are taught to ask permission before doing anything from drinking water to visiting restroom during the initial levels of education.

However, practical experience is given least priority. For instance, even in universities which is the hightest level of education the curriculum is designed where theory is given 60% of the weightage whereas practical assignments are given 40% weightage in the final scoring. Even for courses like computer, chemistry, biology the practical classes are once or twice a week for an hour where as the lectures are for the whole week. Which in my opinion should not be the case as practical skills learned by experiencing help students in understanding the subjects better .

To conclusion, while there are valid points on both side of spending time on learning facts and practical skills. I maintain the stand that practical skills should be given equal or more priorty and time as it helps students learn by experiencing.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt clearly and maintains a consistent position throughout. You have identified the core issue—the imbalance between theoretical knowledge and practical application—and provided relevant examples, such as the weightage of university assignments and the structure of primary education. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are more fully developed. For instance, while you mention that practical skills help in understanding subjects better, you could elaborate on how this specifically prepares students for the modern workforce or long-term career success. The conclusion is clear, but ensure it synthesizes your main points rather than just restating your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'To begin with', 'However', and 'For instance', which help guide the reader through your argument. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'Which in my opinion should not be the case', which starts a new sentence fragment. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence connects logically to the previous one will help improve the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'curriculum', 'weightage', and 'domain knowledge'. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and spelling mistakes that slightly hinder the flow, such as 'belive' (believe), 'memories' (memorize), and 'hightest' (highest). Furthermore, 'more compare to' is grammatically incorrect; 'greater than' would be more natural. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensure you proofread for common spelling errors. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic synonyms will also help elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the time spent... is more compare to') and punctuation errors, particularly with the misuse of commas and sentence fragments. For example, the sentence starting with 'Which in my opinion...' is a fragment and should be integrated into the preceding sentence. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to limit your score. Focus on mastering basic sentence construction and ensuring that complex sentences are punctuated correctly.

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

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