Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-11
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
News stories on TV and in newspapers are very often accompanied by pictures.
Some people say that these pictures are more effective than words.
What is your opinion about this?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 6.5)
In recent years, News stories and newspapers are accompanied with a pictures to attract younger generations.Some people think pictures are more effective because they are convenient for younger generations and save time when reading, but words are essential for detailed understanding. In my opinion, pictures and words play an important role that we will discuss in this essay with examples.
On the one hand, News agencies are introducing changes to their stories and papers by making them more interesting for readers. For example, young generation seems uninterested in news stories because they contain a lot of text and wording, so organisations like The New York times are introducing visual content to attract more readers and making it convenient and easy to read. A photo of flooding can show the damage more clearly than a paragraph. In addition, it saves a lot of time in reading just by understanding the context from the images because pictures communicate information quickly.
On the other hand, words provide details that picture cannot. They explain about the causes, number, background and consequences. For example, a picture can show the flood in Assam, but the article below tells you the consequences why it has happened, the number of people affected and the damages. In my opinion, both are useful, but pictures may have a stronger immediate impact.It would give you the context of the news and increase the interest of the readers.
In Conclusion, pictures can communicate information quickly and clearly, but for the proper details about the background readers need written information of a news story. Overall, both are useful, but attract more customers and have a stronger immediate impact.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear opinion that both pictures and words are necessary. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of flooding in Assam. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; the essay could benefit from more depth in explaining why the 'immediate impact' of pictures is superior or how exactly words provide the 'background' information. The position is consistent throughout, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that each supporting point is fully explored with more detailed reasoning.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two sides of the argument. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing (e.g., 'that we will discuss in this essay' is a slightly redundant meta-commentary). Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the structure supports the reader's understanding of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'visual content', 'immediate impact', and 'consequences'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'accompanied with a pictures' (should be 'accompanied by pictures') and 'wording' (which is slightly unnatural in this context). To improve, the student should focus on more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to enhance the sophistication of the writing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent minor errors in grammar and punctuation. Examples include 'young generation seems' (missing an article: 'the young generation'), 'a pictures' (incorrect article/plural agreement), and 'explain about' (unnecessary preposition). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some missing spaces after periods. The student demonstrates a reasonable command of grammar, but the frequency of these small errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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