Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-24

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, due to advancement in technology, news stories on television and in newspapers are accompanied by photographs. Some people think these pictures are more effective than words. I partly agree with this because pictures sometimes attract the audience and make them curious to know the story behind the picture but the words are best way to explain the news thoroughly.

To begin with, pictures are used in news stories to make them attractive towards the audience and this method is mostly used in newspapers. This is because photos could help to make the news highlighted and more approachable for the readers. In my own experience, many times when I read news online, I get curious to saw a picture connected with the story. Thus, I would read all the news related to the picture.

On the other side, on TV news stories pictures also play significant role due to cartoon generated images. Audience often attracted by these images either those are hilarious or serious. Moreover, many news channels often used AI images to make their news spicy and effective towards individuals.

Admittedly, these images are attracted but words have their own strength to make the news more effective. Many news headlines often get into a talk because of their choice of words. For example, there was a news on well-known artist about their scandal which get popular in audience for their headlines. Moreover, pictures are more likely to present wrong perspective about the news. Many people get offended by pictures without reading the news which leads to conflicts and violence.

In conclusion, although photographs might be used to make news more approachable. However, pictures cannot take place the words due to spreading more confusion and unclarity about the news.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have addressed all parts of the prompt by providing a clear position and supporting it with relevant arguments. You acknowledge the role of pictures in attracting attention while arguing that words are superior for clarity and depth. However, some ideas are slightly under-developed. For example, the mention of 'AI images' and 'spicy' news is a bit vague and could have been expanded to better illustrate your point. To reach a higher band, ensure that every example provided is fully explained in relation to the prompt. Your position is consistent throughout the essay, which is a strength.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'On the other side', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as the sentence structure in the conclusion: 'although photographs might be used... However, pictures cannot take place the words'. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly rather than relying on repetitive structures.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'advancement', 'approachable', and 'thoroughly'. There are some instances of imprecise word choice or non-standard collocations, such as 'get into a talk' instead of 'sparked a debate' or 'spicy' to describe news, which is informal. Additionally, there are minor errors in word form, such as 'curious to saw' instead of 'curious to see'. While these do not impede communication, they limit the score. Expanding your range of academic collocations would help elevate your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and prepositions (e.g., 'pictures cannot take place the words' should be 'cannot replace the words'; 'there was a news on well-known artist' should be 'there was news about a well-known artist'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some issues with sentence boundaries and article usage. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy.

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