Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-12

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)

Some people believe that pictures are very useful to potray news stories on TV and in newspapers. I strongly agree to this and this essay will explain my reasons.

In recent times, people are using either TV or smart phones to see any news. Pictures create visual imaginations on the audiance and it become easy to understand the topic. Sometimes pictures are very helpful to solve some serious cases like putting criminal's picture on any news medium can identify the person wherever he or she may be. Additionally, People can see some of the biggest festivals or cultural events live sitting in different city or country.

Furthermore, physically impaired like deaf people can understand the news by looking pictures or videos. We can differentiate whether it is real or fake by looking at pictures or videos. People find pictures attractive and they will give full focus to understand the news.

On the other hand, Sometimes it is harmful also. For example, in terrorism, Media is covering the whole place and the steps taken by government to save their people which can easily available for everyone so that enemies can get idea about our plan and it may be harmful. Also, visually impaired people can not experience it. So it will create demotivaton for them that they cannot see and enjoy it.

In my opinion, advantages are more to put pictures and videos in any news are high and it can create a huge impact on any story. So, i think these pictures are more effective than words.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether pictures are more effective than words in news stories. You establish a clear position from the beginning stating that you strongly agree. Main ideas are presented, such as helping audiences visualise stories, assisting in criminal investigations, enabling remote participation in cultural events, and aiding deaf individuals. However, some arguments lack full extension and are slightly under-developed. For example, the mention of distinguishing real from fake videos is introduced abruptly without elaboration. The counter-argument regarding terrorism and security risks is also presented briefly. Overall, all parts of the prompt are addressed, placing this comfortably within Band 6.0 territory.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate main points and counter-arguments. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. You rely on basic transition words like 'Additionally', 'Furthermore', and 'On the other hand'. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'Media is covering the whole place and the steps taken by government to save their people which can easily available for everyone', where the pronoun reference is loose. Progression is generally logical, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be smoother to achieve a higher band.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your opinions clearly. You attempt some less common vocabulary such as 'physically impaired', 'demotivation', and 'distinguish'. However, there are noticeable word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'potray' (portray), 'create visual imaginations' (create mental imagery or visualise), and 'advantages are more to put pictures' (the advantages of using pictures are greater). Spelling errors are also present, such as 'audiance' instead of 'audience'. These inaccuracies do not impede communication, placing the response at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as 'Pictures create visual imaginations on the audiance and it become easy to understand the topic.' There are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text, including subject-verb agreement errors ('physically impaired like deaf people can understand', 'advantages are more... are high'), missing articles ('putting criminal's picture', 'get idea'), and incorrect capitalization ('i think'). Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout, and they rarely impede communication. This balance of errors and sentence structures aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor.

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

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