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 observed that news in newspapers and on TV is supported with relevant images. In my view, accompanying images make the news more engaging, captivating and compelling to the masses, and support evidence-based journalism.
The primary reason is that journalists make pictures an integral component of the news stories is to make it more convincing. By seeing relevant images, viewers believe the integrity of the news without questioning the source of information. For example, a news report in which a politician is being linked with illegal activities might appear fake unless supported by relevant images which can compel the public to believe that is true. 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 engaging and interesting for the viewers. 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 the Fifa World Cup was presented with pictures of the winning team holding the trophy, which made the news engaging. Furthermore, readers can often grasp the main message of a news story within seconds by looking at an image, which is particularly useful in today's fast-paced lifestyle.
In conclusion, presenting news stories with images has revolutionized mass media trends and escalated public' expectations, which has not only increased news popularity but also increased the convincing and compelling power of the news being published in the newspapers or broadcasted on TV. Therefore, I support that pictures create a stronger emotional engagement and are more effective than words in media.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.0 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
You have clearly addressed the prompt by taking a definitive position that images are more effective than words. Your ideas are well-developed, particularly the points regarding evidence-based journalism and the efficiency of visual communication in a fast-paced world. You supported your arguments with relevant examples, such as the political scandal scenario and the FIFA World Cup reference. To reach a higher band, ensure that your conclusion does not merely repeat the introduction but synthesizes the main points more effectively. Overall, the response is well-focused and directly answers the question asked.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you have used cohesive devices such as 'The primary reason', 'Another contributing factor', and 'Furthermore' to link your points effectively. The paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the overall clarity of the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. However, the logical structure is consistent throughout, making the essay easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'integral component', 'evidence-based journalism', and 'visual representation' show a good command of topic-specific language. There are occasional minor issues with collocation, such as 'escalated public' expectations' (which should be 'heightened public expectations') and 'increased the convincing and compelling power' (which is slightly wordy). Despite these minor inaccuracies, your vocabulary is varied enough to convey your meaning clearly and effectively throughout the response.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are error-free, and your control of punctuation is generally good. There are a few minor grammatical slips, such as 'journalists make pictures an integral component... is to make it' (a subject-verb agreement/structure issue) and 'people nowadays do not rely on the news where supporting images are missing' (which could be more concisely phrased). However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. You show a good ability to handle complex ideas with grammatical control.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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