Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-29

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)

In recent times, my peers and I have been discussing how all levels of education place too much emphasis on learning facts and not enough on learning practical skills.

Some believe learning facts is crucial, while others argue that without enough practical skills, everything is of no use.

On one hand, many people believe that learning facts is beneficial. One main reason is that without knowing the facts, we won't know what we are doing. This is because many people want to be engineers, doctors, teachers, and even scientists and astronauts; we need to know why an engine needs gas and oil; only then can we know where to put the parts and how to make a car or bike. Without knowing the real reason behind an element we won't able to make any improvements or least case not be able to improve or alter any parts of a vehicle or anything. As an impact we get to know from base all the required informations and then move in to handling machinery or whatever pathway we decide to choose.

On the other hand, others argue that not having enough practical skill learning is a major drawback of our educational system. A key reason is that when we don't have enough funding for more advanced or more having a significant number of materials required for making the practical studies possible. The issue is that lack of practical skills leads to discouraging the individuals in learning and also failing them in achieveing their goal. Consequently, interest in practical skills will affect the whole educational system, and the number will start declining for studying.

In my opinion, i stand equally with both, It is vital part that they both co exist. I believe this is because lack of facts leads to less knowledge on how to handle a practical session. Moreover, practical session alone won't be enough as well.

Conclusion while both view have merits. I belive that both of it should be given equal importance. It is therefore crucial to stand for educational systems growth with these two factors are important.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the topic by discussing the value of factual knowledge and practical learning, and your final position—that both deserve equal importance—is identifiable. However, the response does not fully develop the question of whether education currently gives too much time to facts: much of the first body paragraph explains why facts matter, rather than evaluating their balance with practical skills. The examples about engineers, doctors and vehicle parts are relevant, but the reasoning is difficult to follow and the practical-skills paragraph relies mainly on limited funding and discouragement without a specific example. State your degree of agreement clearly in the introduction, then support it with developed comparisons or examples from education.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs and a conclusion. Phrases such as “On one hand” and “On the other hand” help signal the two perspectives. However, progression within paragraphs is often unclear: the explanation about vehicle parts moves through several ideas without showing their relationship, and the practical-skills paragraph shifts from funding to motivation and then declining participation. Some linking expressions are awkward or do not clearly express the intended connection, including “As an impact.” The conclusion also repeats the equal-importance position rather than drawing the discussion together. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each reason to its consequence in a more direct sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “practical skills,” “educational system,” “machinery” and “advanced,” and you attempt to express abstract ideas about learning and career preparation. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations make meaning unclear, such as “stand equally with both,” “from base,” and “the number will start declining for studying.” There are also noticeable word-form and spelling problems, including “informations,” “achieveing” and “belive.” Aim for more precise academic phrasing and check whether words naturally combine; for example, describe student participation or enrolment declining rather than “the number” declining for studying. This would make your ideas easier to understand.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including explanations with “because” and a conditional structure such as “Without knowing the facts, we won't know what we are doing.” However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors sometimes make the intended meaning difficult to follow. Examples include “we won't able to make,” “not be able to improve or alter,” and “failing them in achieveing their goal”; these show problems with verb forms and sentence construction. There are also errors in punctuation and sentence boundaries, as in “In my opinion, i stand equally with both, It is vital part.” Practise building accurate clauses, especially after modal verbs and prepositions, and use full stops to separate complete ideas.

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