Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
In the modern era, the way news is published plays an integral part in news publishing. We can observe that news stories on television and in newspapers are usually accompanied by pictures. Some people consider these images more effective as compare to words. I totally agreed upon testament. I will elaborate on the beliefs behind it in the subsequent paragraphs.
To commence with, the visuals in the news can build trust among viewers or readers. If people just read or watch serious news without pictures, then they may not get interested in that news even though it is more serious news. Pictures associated with news make it feel more realistic. Thus, people feel the news is more real and consider it engaging. For example, people can imagine the seriousness of the news more easily when it has better visuals. This justifies why news is often accompanied by pictures or videos.
Apart from that, individuals feel that pictures associated with news make it more meaningful. There are many times when it is nearly impossible to describe any incidents without visuals. Additionally, the meaning of news cannot be conveyed effectively without images. For instance, people can take a serious scam incident for granted if people may not see images or videos of how scammers scam innocent people. This arguement says that why more visuals are powerful in news.
To recapitulate, news stories are becoming video stories or picture stories rather than just reading. This has proven to be more effective than the traditional method of news stories. Images associated with a piece of news make news more meaningful and trustworthy.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether pictures are more effective than words in news stories, and a clear position is stated in the introduction: 'I totally agreed upon testament.' However, the task achievement is hindered by some underdeveloped arguments and minor lexical inaccuracies that affect precision. The main ideas, such as building trust and aiding comprehension, are relevant and supported with examples like scam incidents, but the reasoning tends to be repetitive. The student meets the minimum word count successfully, which satisfies the basic task requirements, placing the response solidly at Band 6.0 according to the criteria for addressing all parts of the task with relevant, if slightly repetitive, ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into four distinct paragraphs with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'To commence with' and 'Apart from that', though some of these transitional phrases are somewhat mechanical or non-standard. The logical progression is generally maintained throughout the text, allowing the reader to follow the writer's line of thought easily. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Referencing is mostly clear, although occasional awkward phrasing slightly disrupts the flow. Overall, the organization and cohesion align well with the Band 6.0 descriptor for coherent arrangement and adequate cohesive device usage.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with attempts at less common items such as 'integral part', 'realistic', and 'trustworthy'. However, there are notable lexical errors and unnatural word choices throughout the text, such as 'as compare to' instead of 'compared to', 'agreed upon testament' instead of 'agree with this statement', and 'arguement' (spelling error). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they reflect a lack of precision. The range is sufficient to convey the basic message, but the limitations in word choice and occasional spelling mistakes keep the score at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, using conditional clauses ('If people just read...') and relative clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as 'is more serious news', 'how scammers scam innocent people', and missing prepositions or articles. Despite these errors, the meaning remains comprehensible, and communication is rarely impeded. The control over simple sentences is generally good, but complex structures often contain minor inaccuracies. This demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6.0, featuring a mix of sentence forms and persistent grammatical errors that do not block overall understanding.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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