Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-29

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)

News stories on TV and in newspapers are very often accompanies by pictures. Some people say that these pictures are more effective than words. I do not buy this idea. Instead, I would like to rephrase it.

I believe that words have their own impact and power and pictures make words more effective. In my opinion, we imagine when we read words. For example if you will read an article on a disney land, you will start to imagine about the disney land. You will make a picture of the disney land in your mind. Now imagine if there is a picture along with the article, it will make the words of the article more effective, as you will be able to see and verify the information.

Furthermore, pictures are incomplete without words whereas, words alone are sufficient. For example a same picture can be used to give multiple messages. Therefore, pictures can never be more effective than words. Its the words that give meaning to a picture. A picture alone can also be misleading.

In conclusion, I would say that pictures can never be more effective than words. In fact, pictures help in making words more effective.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

The student addresses the prompt by expressing a clear position that pictures are not more effective than words, but rather complement them. However, the response falls significantly short of the required 250 words, containing only 198 words. Consequently, the ideas are under-developed and lack the extension and depth expected for a higher band. The examples provided, such as reading an article about Disneyland, are a bit simplistic and repetitive, which prevents a fully thorough discussion of the topic. In accordance with the IELTS assessment criteria, a severe penalty must be applied for failing to meet the minimum length requirement, restricting this criterion to a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a basic overall progression, utilizing standard introductory and concluding structures. Paragraphing is attempted, with distinct blocks for introduction, body points, and conclusion. However, the cohesive devices used are basic and repetitive, such as 'For example', 'Now imagine', and 'Furthermore'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, for instance in the phrase 'the same picture can be used', where the definite article is misused. While the logical flow is somewhat apparent, the mechanical nature of the transitions and the abrupt development of paragraphs reflect Band 6 descriptors. Coherence is maintained well enough for the reader to follow the argument without significant confusion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, though it is quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'buy this idea', 'give multiple messages', and 'make a picture' demonstrate a limited range of lexical resources. There is an attempt to use functional terms, but uncommon lexical items are largely absent. Additionally, there are minor lexical inaccuracies, such as the spelling error 'accompanies' instead of 'accompanied' in the opening sentence. The vocabulary allows the writer to convey their basic message, but the lack of flexibility and precision keeps the score at Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if you will read an article') and relative clauses. However, control over complex structures is inconsistent, leading to grammatical errors. For example, the sentence 'if you will read an article on a disney land' contains an incorrect future tense in the conditional clause, and 'a disney land' uses an unnecessary and incorrect article. There are also punctuation and phrasing slips, such as 'Its the words' missing the apostrophe for the contraction 'It's'. Despite these frequent minor errors, the meaning remains clear throughout, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor for grammar.

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