Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-05

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)

Some people say that in all educational institutes, from primary schools to college, mostly focus on learning facts and less on learning practical skills. In this essay, I will explain reasons for my disagreement to the given statement with relevant examples in a subsequent paragraphs.

The main reason for spending more time on learning practical skills is that they allow students to build their confidence and develop a strong foundation that is required for their future careers. Students can demonstrate their skills more confidently in their workplace if they have gained sufficient practical experience during their education. For example, Students who have enough practical experience can easily perform basic tasks in their workplace before their training starts. As a result, an employer can save time and effort to train the employee from very basic technical skills. Therefore, major focus on practical skills during education not only is beneficial for the students for their careers but also advantageous for employers who will hire them.

Another important reason for focusing on practical skills is that they help students to learn problem-solving abilities. By applying their theoretical knowledge to real life situations, students will learn how to deal with unexpected problems and make a wise decision. For example, if engineering student with enough practical skill faces any problem during their work, they will able to handle it independently and find effective solutions by utilizing their own knowledge. Therefore, it make students more independent to make their own decision in their later work culture.

To recapitulate, educational institutions has to focus on developing both practical skills and facts. However, the more practical knowledge, the better the students perform. Consequently, students will perform well than the employer expectation from the starting phase of their work.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position disagreeing with the statement that too much time is spent on learning facts rather than practical skills. However, the task is only partially addressed in terms of idea development and balance. The introduction states an intention to explain reasons for disagreement, but the body paragraphs focus entirely on arguing why practical skills are important without fully engaging with the counter-argument regarding the value of learning facts. Some ideas are under-developed or repetitive, such as the discussion on workplace training and independent decision-making. To reach a higher level, the writer needs to explore both sides of the issue more thoroughly and extend their main arguments with deeper analysis rather than generalized examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion, alongside identifiable body paragraphs. Information and ideas are generally presented in a logical sequence, moving from career benefits to problem-solving abilities. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or somewhat repetitive, relying on transitional markers like 'For example' and 'Therefore' frequently across paragraphs. Referencing and paragraphing are generally managed, but the conclusion introduces a slight shift in meaning by suggesting a balance between practical skills and facts, which conflicts slightly with the stated disagreement in the introduction. To improve, the writer should use a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure smoother logical transitions between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-related terms such as 'educational institutes', 'practical experience', 'theoretical knowledge', and 'problem-solving abilities'. There are some attempts to use less common vocabulary, though this is occasionally accompanied by minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'major focus on practical skills' instead of 'a major focus'. Spelling and word-form errors are present, such as 'educational institutions has' (agreement handled under grammar, but note 'institutes' vs 'institutions') and missing articles like 'if engineering student'. These errors do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, the writer should incorporate a wider range of sophisticated vocabulary with precise control over collocations and register.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over compound and complex structures, such as 'Students who have enough practical experience can easily perform basic tasks...' There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including article omissions ('if engineering student'), pluralisation issues ('a wise decision' for multiple decisions or 'wise decisions'), and subject-verb agreement issues ('educational institutions has to focus'). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication. To progress further, the writer needs to increase the proportion of error-free complex sentences and demonstrate finer control over articles, prepositions, and grammatical agreements.

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

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