Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-13
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 5.5)
The issue of publishing photographs along with the news stories has sparked intense debate in modern society. While a segment of society argues that images are more effective than the words. In my opinion, I partly agree with this notion because pictures can communicate quickly and create emotion, although written information are also essential.
On the one hand, the primary reason why I hold this view is that pictures can make news stories easier to understand. To clarify, a single image shows the scale of seriousness of the issue immediately, a person needs sentence to understand the whole situation. For instance, photographs of natural disaster can clearly show the level of damage happened to the building, streets and how the people rescued. However, A detailed explanation will give the depth to the news stories.
Furthermore, another compelling argument supporting my sentence is photographs sometimes mislead the population. This is mainly because images may show what happened but they will not show why it was happened. Therefore, Individuals make their own opinion without a hearing relevant information. As an illustration, if anywhere protest is happening, media covers the whole stories with photographs of location, public gathers to support the protest, how protest is going but the agenda behind this issue is uninformed which creates confusion for person who is watching.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the effectiveness of pictures versus words. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the argument. While you present a clear position, the development of ideas is somewhat restricted due to the length. For instance, the example regarding protests is relevant but lacks sufficient elaboration to fully support your point. To improve, ensure you expand on your examples and provide a more comprehensive conclusion to meet the word count and fully develop your ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and you use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'Therefore'. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and minor errors in referencing. For example, the transition 'a person needs sentence to understand' is unclear and disrupts the logical progression. Additionally, some sentences are fragmented, which affects the overall coherence. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider range of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus with smooth transitions between ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'intense debate', 'compelling argument', and 'uninformed'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'level of damage happened to the building' (should be 'sustained by') and 'why it was happened' (grammatically incorrect). The vocabulary is generally sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of academic collocations and refining your usage of verbs will help improve your score in this area.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'written information are also essential' (subject-verb agreement), 'a person needs sentence' (missing article), and 'if anywhere protest is happening' (awkward syntax). While you attempt complex structures, the control over them is inconsistent. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that your sentence structures are grammatically sound. Proofreading for these common errors will significantly enhance the quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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