Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)
It is widely seen that news both in paperform and on TV are supported by images. In my view, accompaning images make the news more acceptable and interesting to the masses, and support evidence based journalism.
The primary reason is that journalists make pictures an integral component of the news strories to convince the viewers that the news is true and represents honest journalism. By seeing relevant images, viewers believe the integrity of the news without questioning the source of information. For example, a news related to a politician being linked with illegal activities might appear fake unless supported by relevant images which can convince the public. Since it has become quite common to expect pictures to be a part of the news section, people nowadays do not rely on the news where supporting images are missing. Therefore, this practice directly supports evidence based journalism.
Another contributing factor is that pictures in the news, make the news more interesting for the consumers. This is because visual representation of the information along with pictures attracts immediate attention from viewers and leaves a deeper impact on them. For instance, news about Argentina winning Fifa World Cup felt more interesting when pictures of the winning team holding the trophy were published in the newspapers and shown on TV.
In conclusion, the practice of presenting news stories with images has revolutionized mass media trends and escalalted publics' expectations, which has not only increased news popularity but also maximised convincing power of the news being published in thnewspapers or broadcasted on TV.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that images enhance the credibility and engagement of news. The ideas are relevant and supported by examples, such as the mention of political scandals and the FIFA World Cup. The argument is well-developed, though it could be strengthened by exploring potential counter-arguments or nuances regarding the manipulation of images. Overall, the response maintains a consistent focus on the topic and provides a clear, logical progression of ideas that directly answers the question asked.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic sentence. Cohesive devices such as 'The primary reason is', 'Another contributing factor', and 'Therefore' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to move beyond a slightly mechanical structure. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with some good collocations like 'integral component', 'evidence-based journalism', and 'visual representation'. There are a few minor errors, such as 'paperform' (should be 'paper form') and 'strories' (spelling error). The range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning with precision, though it lacks a high degree of sophistication or idiomatic usage that would characterize a higher band. The word choice is functional and supports the argument well without causing any confusion for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical slips, such as 'news... are' (should be 'is'), 'news related to' (should be 'news related to a'), and 'the news where' (should be 'news in which'). Punctuation is generally accurate, though there is an unnecessary comma in 'pictures in the news, make the news'. Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the sentence structures are varied enough to maintain interest. The control of grammar is generally good, though more error-free complex sentences would be needed for a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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