Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-25

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)

Schools and universities often practice the method of teaching the students from a textbook rather than letting the students learn it in a practical way. Many scholars believe that students from an early age should learn a subject where they learn practical skills from it which is applicable to real life.

Nowadays, students from the young age start learning the subject Maths which is useful for their life. The subject starts from basic calculation methods and goes on explaining about complex algebraic equations and polynomials. It is understandable that these topics are necessary for a student who plans to study in the field of higher science. In the case of a student who plans to be a chef doesn't require these complex mathematical calculations inorder to cook a food item. The main takeaway point here is that the syllabus that is being followed across all schools are not catered for all the students equally.

Furthermore, in a recent survey which was conducted across all schools in India demonstrated that the students are not exposed to various extra curricular activites. Instead, the students are made devoted in the preparation of upcoming examinations. This builds excess stress upon the students and provided the students lose out the experience of living a life outside the textbook. Pupils need to be taken to various camps and industrial trips where they would learn essential life skills. For instance, Schools in Japan organise a camping excursion for the students anually which encourages more and more students to participate in different activities and learn specific set of skills required for the daily survival. This boosts their morale in a young age and develops them better compared to the students glued to their textbooks.

In conclusion, I believe that the government should reform the educational system on a regular basis catering the needs of all the students. With technological advancements, the students should adapt themselves and gain more practical knowledge than being glued to tge textbooks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on whether too much time is spent on learning facts rather than practical skills. The writer takes a clear stance agreeing with the prompt and supports this with relevant examples, such as contrasting the needs of a future chef with higher mathematics and citing Japanese camping excursions. Ideas are extended and generally well-developed, although some points, such as the survey mentioned in the third paragraph, lack specific statistical details. Overall, the argument is easy to follow and meets the criteria for Band 6.5 to 7.0, sitting comfortably at a Band 6.0 due to some generalisation and slightly underdeveloped main arguments in the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the discussion on school subjects and extracurricular activities. Cohesive devices like 'Furthermore', 'Instead', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader through the text, although referencing is sometimes slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the repeated use of 'the students'. Progression is generally logical, but transitions between sentences could be smoother to achieve higher bands. This performance aligns well with the Band 6 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'algebraic equations', 'extracurricular activities', and 'technological advancements'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and inappropriate word choices, such as 'learn a subject where they learn practical skills from it', 'made devoted in the preparation', and a typographic error 'tge textbooks'. While these do not impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching the Band 7 threshold. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, making Band 6.0 the appropriate score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, such as 'a student who plans to be a chef doesn't require' (subject-verb agreement and article issues), 'inorder to' (spacing and spelling), and 'at a young age' rather than 'in a young age'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but errors in preposition usage and article omission persist. These errors rarely impede communication, reflecting the core characteristics of Band 6 grammar.

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

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