Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-27

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)

There has been an ongoing trend of accompanying stories with pictures on TV and in newspapers. Some people contend that these pictures provide a better insight of the story. In my opinion, this is a positive development as pictures can describe the emotions of the story and can help in understanding the article quickly especially to those having a busy lifestyle.

To commence with, the main reason why stories are accompanied by photos is that pictures describes the true emotion and severity of the situation. To elaborate, since it's hard to understand the real effects of some stories such as a disaster, pictures can reveal the real destruction it has caused. For example, the severity of a flooded region can be easily shown by using some drone shots of the area. Although people can read about its consequences in the paragraph but pictures help us to bring out the emotions of the reader. There are high chances that after seeing a painful picture, the reader agrees to donate for the cause.

In addition to this, adding photographs with headlines can also benefit the employed generation. Due to their busy schedules, some people hardy get anytime to read the newspaper. Adding a picture with the news section will help them to quickly skim through the text and get a brief idea about the story in no time. For instance, I myself read the headlines and see the picture to obtain the news especially during the morning hours when I am getting late for work.

To conclude, this essay has highlighted that pictures describe the true emotions of an incident and allows quick understand of the news. In my opinion, although picture are becoming an import aspect of newspapers and TV news programs, they cannot replace the textual or verbal news completely. Pictures can help the reader to get a better understanding but they cannot alone describe the whole news.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position and supporting it with relevant examples. The ideas regarding emotional impact and efficiency for busy readers are well-developed. The essay maintains a consistent stance throughout. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more nuanced analysis, perhaps by briefly acknowledging potential downsides of visual media (such as sensationalism) to demonstrate a more balanced perspective, though this is not strictly required for a high score. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points and adds a thoughtful final observation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'In addition to this', and 'To conclude' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a central theme. The flow of ideas is smooth, and referencing is generally clear. The transition between the emotional impact of images and the practical benefits for busy readers is handled well, ensuring the argument progresses logically from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is sufficient and generally appropriate for the task. The student uses some effective collocations like 'ongoing trend', 'severity of the situation', and 'skim through the text'. There are minor inaccuracies, such as 'provide a better insight of' (should be 'into') and 'import aspect' (should be 'important'). While the range is adequate, it lacks the more sophisticated, less common lexical items that would characterize a band 8 or 9. However, the meaning is always clear, and the vocabulary choice is precise enough to convey the intended message effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('pictures describes', 'picture are') and minor phrasing errors ('hardy get anytime'). Despite these, the student shows good control over complex structures, and the errors do not impede communication. Punctuation is generally accurate. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic agreement errors and ensuring consistent use of plural/singular forms, which would elevate the accuracy of the writing significantly.

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