Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Many experts believe that formal education requires a more holistic learning approach; rather than following traditional rote learning at schools, more focus on practical skills is required, either through a blended education by including vocational training, or by changing the existing exam oriented education structure. Although traditional learning system might be appropriate for some subjects, I strongly believe that real life practical skills should be part of education system. This essay will examine how a society, individual, and country's economy bears an extra burden of skill gap because of an education system that doesn't meet the demands of today's market.

Schools and universities primarily works on an exam oriented education system, whereby students are taught to memorize the syllabus contents to score good marks. Similarly, exams are designed to rest a student's capability of memorization, instead of the practical knowledge of the subject. This fact is evident, for example, due to apprenticeships which are considered mandatory by employers to recruit fresh graduates. If a student is taught practical know-how of a subject, he will be able to join the job market from the very first day after completing graduation.

Moreover, students in the early years are taught by schools to learn facts and figures about the traditional numeric and language, a very little focused is placed on the development of cognitive abilities. Therefore, such children face real life challenges which are required soft, practical skills about life. Exams and tests are structured by schools not to test the problem solving skills of these children, rather focus is placed on particular syllabus contents to memories.

In conclusion, although certain subject required to be taught only facts, such as history and philosophy, however, modern markets and economies require more digital, vocational and soft skills literacy. To counter this, more regulatory work is required by governments to design education system to tackle the modern world challenges.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear stance that practical skills should be integrated into education rather than focusing solely on memorizing facts. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of apprenticeships being mandatory for fresh graduates to enter the job market. While some arguments could be explored in even greater depth, the response covers societal and economic burdens adequately. The main points are clearly presented, satisfying the requirements for a Band 7 level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: introduction, vocational versus academic realities, early-years education, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Although', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used to connect ideas effectively, although paragraphing and referencing can occasionally feel slightly mechanical. For example, 'This fact is evident, for example, due to apprenticeships' is a bit repetitive in its transitional framing. Nevertheless, the overarching structure guides the reader smoothly from one point to the next, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, incorporating less common lexical items such as 'holistic learning approach', 'vocational training', and 'cognitive abilities'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'traditional numeric and language' instead of 'traditional numeracy and literacy', and grammatical derivation slips like 'memories' instead of 'memorize'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies in word formation and collocation, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and communication is never impeded, fitting the Band 6 profile comfortably.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student attempts a good variety of complex sentence structures, using conditional clauses, relative clauses, and participial phrases (e.g., 'If a student is taught practical know-how...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, demonstrating good overall control of punctuation and syntax. However, several noticeable grammatical errors occur, including subject-verb agreement issues ('Schools and universities primarily works...') and awkward phrasing like 'a very little focused is placed' or 'certain subject required to be taught'. These errors do not impede communication and a mix of simple and complex forms is successfully handled, earning a Band 6.

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