Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Education plays a crucial role in shaping the intellectual ability and practical skills of an individuals. However, it is observed that time allotted for practical sessions in learning facts and theories is limited whereas extensive emphasize is on memorising the topics. Therefore, I personally disagree with the statement although the merits of practical learning should not be ignored.

Firstly, education at lower grades is simple and easier to grasp. For instance, in schools, teachers and parents help their kid a lot in understanding the topic and then making it feasible for them to learn and cram it. The early introduction of cramming is a way of teaching kids to remember the topic for longer period of time. Thus, it helps them to be familiar with the idea for a long period of time.

Moreover, it is highly believed that cramming has affected the results of educational boards. For instance, students result shows excellence in their academic as they are aware of every single topic by heart. As a result, the students can perform well in competitive exams and job interviews because they understand the topic completely and precisely.

On the other hand, practical learning provide hands-on experience to kids. They listen to the lecture more carefully and attentively in order to perform best in the practical. However, kids possess creativity and by performing practicals, it is feasible to make them understand the idea or theory.

To sum up, both the factors share individual importance in the educational lives of kids. Therefore, practicing of practical should also be encouraged with the rising affection of learning facts and theories.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the position is inconsistent. You state you 'disagree' with the idea that too much time is spent on facts, yet your conclusion suggests that practical learning should be encouraged alongside facts, which is a more balanced view. The development of ideas is somewhat superficial; for example, the argument that 'cramming' helps students remember topics for a 'long period of time' is logically questionable and lacks depth. To improve, ensure your position is clearly defined in the introduction and consistently supported throughout the body paragraphs with more logical, well-reasoned arguments rather than contradictory statements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the logical progression is hindered by the contradictory nature of the arguments. While you use cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand', some are used mechanically. The transition between the idea of 'cramming' and its supposed benefits is not clearly linked to the prompt's focus on practical skills versus facts. The referencing is occasionally unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow your line of reasoning throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on some repetitive phrasing, such as 'long period of time' used twice in the same paragraph. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'extensive emphasize is on' (should be 'emphasis is placed on') and 'practicing of practical' (should be 'practical training' or 'practical work'). Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic collocations would significantly improve your score.

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 clarity. Examples include 'an individuals' (should be 'an individual'), 'students result shows' (should be 'students' results show'), and 'practical learning provide' (should be 'provides'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these errors in subject-verb agreement and pluralization are persistent. To reach a higher band, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed correctly.

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

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