Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-20

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 4.0)

There are different opinions regarding the factual knowledge being taught in all the educational institutions and not focus on the practicality of the skills.

It is important for an indivdual to have a proper information of things which they practice in their daily routine. It helps them to be confident in what they are doing and have an idea of why things need to be done in a certain way.

On the other hand, practical knowledge is equally important

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response is only minimally developed and does not clearly answer whether you agree or disagree. You introduce the topic of factual knowledge and practical skills, and the sentence about information helping people understand why tasks are done gives one relevant reason. However, the position remains unclear, and the final statement, “practical knowledge is equally important,” is not explained or supported with an example. The response also falls substantially short of the required 250 words, leaving the task incomplete. To improve, state your view directly in the introduction, develop at least two reasons in separate paragraphs, and support them with specific examples from education or experience.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

There is a basic attempt to organise the response: the opening introduces the topic, a second paragraph gives a reason, and “On the other hand” signals a contrast. These features provide some structure, but the ideas do not form a complete or clearly progressing argument. The contrast is left unfinished, and there is no conclusion to bring the discussion together. The link between factual knowledge and the claim about daily routines could also be made more explicit. Build a clear sequence by stating your position, developing each supporting point in its own paragraph, and using transitions that show how the examples support your view.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “factual knowledge,” “educational institutions,” “practicality,” and “confident.” This shows an attempt to discuss education rather than relying only on very basic terms. However, the range is narrow in this short response, and several expressions are awkward or imprecise, such as “proper information of things” and “focus on the practicality of the skills.” “Practical knowledge” is also repeated without being developed through more specific terms. Aim for natural collocations and precise vocabulary, for example, “factual knowledge,” “hands-on skills,” and “apply what they learn.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response includes mostly simple sentence patterns, such as “It helps them to be confident,” and one longer sentence explaining why information is useful. Meaning is generally understandable, but the range of structures is limited, and there are errors in sentence construction. In the opening, “There are different opinions regarding the factual knowledge being taught … and not focus on” does not maintain a parallel grammatical structure. The final line, “On the other hand, practical knowledge is equally important,” is a sentence fragment in context because the contrast is not completed. Check that paired ideas use matching forms, and practise extending a main clause with a correctly formed explanation or example.

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