Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-01

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)

In recent years, an increasing number of story tellers are adding pictures in their stories especially which are telecasting on TV and in newspaper. It is often debated whether these photographs are more efficient than writing words. In my opinion, it is a good strategy to demonstrate information to readers.

To begin with, articles with pictures help to understand the concept of writing in better way. As readers get the opportunity to see what they are reading about, they gain more information. As a result, it is not only help them to remember things easily but also improve their visual skills. To cite an example, a recent study by the Oxford University reveals that nowadays, people prefer to study newspaper with images because they may not know how to read but they understand topics by seeing these images.

Moreover, photographs create viewers interest towards study. Some writers make beautiful or fascinating paintings in their newspaper, and these capture the tendency of people. Consequently, those who find boring to study, they prefer to read articles by admiring such images. For instance, most of the schools, in China, are providing academics books with pictures to their students, so they can improve their interest in studies.

In conclusion, it is true that articles with images create people's interest in studies as well as allow them to have greater understanding regarding the topics. Eventually, this development is considered as positive for the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the effectiveness of pictures in news media. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the position is clear, the arguments are somewhat simplistic. For instance, the claim that people prefer newspapers with images because they 'may not know how to read' is a significant over-generalisation that lacks logical support. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more nuanced reasoning and ensure the essay meets the length requirement to allow for full development of your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' to link your paragraphs. However, the internal cohesion within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical. For example, the sentence 'Consequently, those who find boring to study, they prefer to read articles...' contains redundant referencing. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns and references are used more precisely would help the flow of your writing appear more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on somewhat repetitive phrasing, such as 'create viewers interest' and 'improve their interest'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'telecasting on TV' (usually 'broadcast') and 'capture the tendency of people' (which is not a standard idiomatic expression). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to media and communication, and focus on using words in their correct collocations to convey your meaning more accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally hinder clarity. For example, 'especially which are telecasting' is grammatically incorrect, and 'it is not only help them' should be 'it not only helps them'. Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'a recent study by the Oxford University' (should be 'Oxford University') and 'provide academics books' (should be 'academic books'). Increasing the frequency of error-free sentences and refining your control over complex structures will significantly improve your score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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