Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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 6.5)

For many years, newspapers and Television programs are releasing new stories supported by pictures, many peoples consider this representation to be a far more efficient rather than simply using word description or audio. I believe it is an attractive method to generate interest of the audience, but providing visuals solely do not convey the real purpose of the storyline. Therefore, I firmly suggest to support the pictures with subtitles or audio description. Let us delve into the aforementioned view in the subsequent paragraphs with some relevant examples.

To begin with, the use of art to showcase the storyline is an eye-catching method to draw attention of not only children but also elder people. The colourful transitions captivate reader's attention and compel them to pay close attention to them. Moreover, defining the story with few pictures is a quick method to outline the theme of the whole story. Just by paying quick attention to the pictures, the audience can make assumptions about the genre of specific program. For example, in many newspapers, picture illustration based on social issues are published in everyday editions. These articles target various generations of the society and help readers in enhancing their knowledge without reading long and detailed reports which can be quite time consuming.

On the other hand, releasing new stories supported by audio and subtitles facilities elaborate the true message of the context. Since the brain of children does not fully develop in the early years of schooling education, they need to provide deep insights into the story so that they can understand them easily. Similarly, elder people might not be able to translate the pictures in order to understand the hidden message behind photographs. However, publishing visuals with audio and visual effects transmit the real objective of the story. For example, in the early days of the television production, an extremely popular cartton show "Popeye the sailor man", published with visual illustration. But after its immense popularity among children, the production added audio description to convey the real message of the series.

To encapsulate, I genuinely believe that the publication of news story with photography and art is one of the efficient technique to draw attention of the people. However, the experience can be enhanced by adding audio description and subtitles so that the real message can be depicted effortlessly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear position throughout. The writer acknowledges that pictures are attractive and effective for drawing attention, but argues that they are insufficient on their own and need to be accompanied by text or audio to convey the true message. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as newspaper illustrations of social issues and the historical example of 'Popeye the sailor man'. While the arguments are generally well-developed, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise regarding children and elderly people. Overall, the task is well handled, fulfilling the requirements for Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently structured into an introduction, clear body paragraphs, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used adequately, such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'To encapsulate', though some transitional phrases feel slightly formulaic or mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, moving from the benefits of pictures to their limitations and the need for supplementary audio or text. Referencing is mostly clear, contributing to an overall smooth flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, such as 'captivate', 'illustration', 'elaborate', and 'effortlessly'. There are attempts to use less common items with general awareness of style and collocation, as seen in 'eye-catching method' and 'immense popularity'. However, some word choice and collocation errors occur, such as 'many peoples' (should be 'people'), 'efficient rather than simply using word description' (should be 'efficiency' or 'effective'), and 'publishing visuals with audio and visual effects transmit' (grammatical mismatch). Spelling is generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede communication, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures like relative clauses and conditional-like phrasing (e.g., 'Since the brain of children does not fully develop...'). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasing throughout, such as 'newspapers and Television programs are releasing' (tense/aspect issue), 'providing visuals solely do not convey' (subject-verb agreement), and 'they need to provide deep insights' (passive voice needed: 'they need to be provided'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but frequent minor grammatical inaccuracies keep the score at Band 6.0.

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