Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-28

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)

It seems very often that news whether it is in the form of video or in written, mainly accompanied by pictures. Because of this new trend, many individuals pointed their thoughts and compaired if pictures are more effective then words? In my perspective, both are effective while there are some negatives of having many images in the news stories and newspapers that I will discuss in the upcoming body paragraphs.

First and foremost, according to some people having images in news are significant because it is convenient in understanding and watching and easy to retain. These days, people are participating in various tasks due to which they have limited time of all chores, to save their time and balance their working life they perhaps inclined towards this though of having images in the news. According to a survey, most of the people who are working wants to have images in the news as it it more easy to understanf. Not only images help people to save their time but also people can read news via images while travelling.

However, in my opinion, although, having images in the news stories and in news paper are convenient and assist individuals in saving their time but at what cost. From many decades, there were less images in the news and more words which used to make contribution in students academia. Students had been much more better in reading and other aspects in education. This was found in a research that because of convenient methods of reading, pupils or other individuals tend to put less efforts in readind words end end up have trubble in academica for instance, speling mistakes and reading challenges.

In conclusion, although people are inclining toward reading news from pictures and found images are more effective then words. In my personal thoughts, individuals, especially pupils are facing difficulities in their studies due to this trend for example poor reading skill and end up making lots of errors in writing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing whether pictures are more effective than words in news stories, presenting a clear position that while pictures save time, they can have negative impacts on academic development. The main ideas are extended and supported with relevant personal arguments and references to research, although some points tend to over-generalize, such as claiming that pictures universally cause spelling mistakes and reading challenges. Overall, the response fulfills the task requirements adequately, showing a clear line of argument throughout the essay, which aligns with Band 6.5 or a solid Band 6 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is divided into a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, demonstrating an overall logical arrangement. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different arguments. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes faulty, mechanical, or repetitive, as seen with phrases like 'First and foremost,' 'According to a survey,' and 'However, in my opinion, although...' Furthermore, referencing and logical transitions between sentences occasionally feel abrupt, and mechanical errors in cohesion prevent the text from achieving a higher band. These characteristics correspond well with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common phrases such as 'convenient in understanding,' 'limited time of all chores,' and 'students academia.' However, there are numerous noticeable word-choice, collocation, and spelling errors throughout the text, including 'compaired' instead of 'compared,' 'understanf' instead of 'understand,' 'readind' instead of 'reading,' 'end end up' instead of 'and end up,' 'trubble' instead of 'trouble,' 'academica' instead of 'academics,' 'speling' instead of 'spelling,' and 'difficulities' instead of 'difficulties.' While these errors do not completely impede communication, their frequency prevents the lexical score from reaching Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability to construct multi-clause sentences, such as 'From many decades, there were less images in the news and more words which used to make contribution in students academia.' However, the text contains a high frequency of grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including tense inconsistencies ('From many decades, there were...'), preposition errors ('compaired if pictures are more effective then words'), and word form errors. These recurring errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and demonstrate a lack of reliable control over complex grammatical structures, placing the essay firmly at Band 5.0.

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