Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-17

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 vital role in each and every individual's life. several residents express that in all levels of education for primary school to universities, too much time is spent on learning facts, and not enough on learning practical skills. I strongly agree with this view this essay will discuss the reasons for my opinion.

out of all, the first and formost reason is that, students focus on memorizing facts for passing exams and achieving higher ranks. because student have pressure of parent and peers to get higher scoure. As a result, after exam they forget everything they do not focus on deep information and understanding.

Another important reason is that students do not focus on learning practical skills during their studies, such as cooking communication and computer skills. As a result, In the future they do not get job easily. For instance, If they had focused on this skills, they Could find job easily and they do not depend on others. In addition, If they become finance independent it is beneficial for their own country, because unemployment will reduce and another advantages is that they will paid tax. so the country will become finance strong.

To recapitulate, I agree that students spend too much time on learning facts. therefore, school and universities should focus more on practical skills for a better future for students and their own country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response presents a clear position throughout, agreeing that too much time is spent on learning facts rather than practical skills. The ideas presented, such as the pressure to memorize for exams and the long-term impact on employment, are relevant and supported with explanations. However, the development remains somewhat limited due to the overall length of the essay, which falls short of the 250-word minimum at 228 words. Additionally, some examples, such as 'cooking communication and computer skills', lack proper punctuation and full development. Because the task response is slightly under-length and certain supporting points are underdeveloped, the score is capped at Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement and follows a recognizable four-paragraph structure. There are attempts to sequence ideas logically using transitional phrases such as 'out of all', 'Another important reason', and 'To recapitulate'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For instance, the transition 'out of all, the first and formost reason is that' is unnatural, and the paragraphing suffers from abrupt sentence connections. Furthermore, cohesive devices are occasionally inadequate or repetitive, leading to a somewhat choppy flow. These limitations place the response firmly in the Band 5.5 category for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, successfully using terms like 'education', 'memorizing', 'unemployment', and 'independent'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'formost' instead of foremost, 'scoure' instead of score, 'finance' instead of financially, and 'paid tax' instead of pay taxes. These errors indicate a limited control of word formation and collocation. While communication is not severely impeded, the frequency of lexical inaccuracies prevents the essay from reaching a higher band, making Band 5.0 an accurate assessment.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional clauses ('If they had focused on this skills, they Could find job easily'). However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent errors, such as capitalization issues ('several residents', 'out of all'), missing articles ('find job'), pronoun agreement errors ('this skills'), and incorrect verb forms ('they will paid tax'). Simple sentences tend to be more accurate, but attempts at complex sentences often contain noticeable errors that can cause some difficulty for the reader, aligning with the Band 5.0 descriptors.

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

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