Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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)

People believe that in institutions from primay schools to universities more time is spent on learning facts and not enough on practical skills.

From the past few decades the main focus of study has been shifted to learn facts and achieve academic scores.Thats why in educational institutions the main focus is on learning theories rather than a balance between leraning and practicals.In my opinion the people are right in their saying.Because practical skills are as important as learning facts.

For example If students will learn only factual informaton they may not be able to implement that knowledge in their practical life without learning that skill.It is the responsibilty of educational institutions to make it compulsory to have practicals as well.There will be proper classes and time managment between these two fieldsof study.Infact there are some subjects which based only on practical work such as physical education and computer related subjects.The students cannot fully understand the concept of these subjects without proper practicl work.Furthermore its useless to have a computer knowledge if a student do not know how to operate a computer.Likewise if the students of physical education do not know specific exercises and physical activities then whats the benefit of opting these subjects?Subsequently it is the demand of some subjects to have proper practical skills.

In conclusion all the educational institutions from primary level schools to universities must reconsider their syllabus and timetables.It is the responsibity of higher educational authorities to regulate these reforms.Because we need more skilled individuals in our society to grow and succed in every aspect of life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position on whether too much time is spent on learning facts rather than practical skills. The writer supports their viewpoint with relevant explanations and examples, such as discussing physical education and computer-related subjects where practical application is essential. However, some of the ideas are slightly repetitive and under-developed, lacking deeper elaboration on how this issue manifests across different levels of education like primary schools versus universities. The position is maintained throughout, but the depth of development aligns best with a Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response has a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion. Paragraphing is attempted, though the main body of the essay is collapsed into a single, dense block which makes it harder to follow distinct sub-points. Cohesive devices are used, but some transitions are abrupt or mechanically applied, such as starting sentences with 'Thats why' or 'Subsequently'. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of distinct paragraph breaks for separate arguments pulls the coherence score down to a Band 5.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'educational institutions', 'theoretical', and 'regulated'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-form errors throughout the text, such as 'primay' instead of primary, 'leraning' instead of learning, 'informaton' instead of information, and 'responsibity' instead of responsibility. Attempts at less common vocabulary sometimes result in awkward phrasing or collocation errors. Because these errors are noticeable but do not severely impede overall communication, the lexical resource is rated at a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses like 'if the students of physical education do not know specific exercises...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with missing articles, incorrect prepositions, fragment sentences ('Thats why...'), and punctuation errors. For example, 'if students will learn only factual informaton' contains an incorrect tense in the conditional clause. Although communication is maintained and meaning remains mostly clear, the density of errors keeps the performance at a Band 5.0.

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