Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-12

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)

There is a belief that the pictures can explain better than the words which is my news stories on television and in newspapers are mostly covered with pictures nowadays. I strongly support this opinion.

In the past times, most of the newspapers were covered with long paragraphs without any pictures which were so hard to read as those were time consuming. It was really very hard to read a 8 pages newspaper without any visual content and so many words containing important information. Sometimes some important news were missed because of this only. Reporters and content creators have to write a long informational paragraphs on the daily basis to report in the newspapers which was again a very hectic tasks for them. Also due to the lack of image content, the TV reporters had to give detailed speeches for each news headlines.

In these days, newspapers and televisions are mostly using the images which itself describes the half of the story and the rest are covered by the TV reporters or news writers. This is very time saving and also a kind of entertaining to the veiwers and readers. For example, nowadays the weather forecasts are alsoways shown on the television with the country's geographical map showng the regional details as well, which looks for informative in itself. Same on the newspaper, the weather forecasts are always described in the form of some informational flow charts or graphs.

I strongly beleive that visuals are always the best way to describe any situation in less words. This is time saving, entertaining and attractive as well. Current generation likes the visual data, and if newspapers and TV channels wants to engage the current generation, using the visual data is the best way to engage.

In the conclusion, I agree that the pictures are more effective than words and it is good to use visual data in the newspapers and on television channels to entertain to the viewers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction—“I strongly support this opinion”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address the comparison by explaining that images can communicate information quickly, attract viewers, and support weather reporting; the map and forecast examples are relevant. This meets the task well, and the practical examples show some development beyond simply stating your view. However, the discussion of newspapers in the past and the workload of reporters is less directly connected to whether pictures are more effective than words. The claim that visuals are “always the best way” is also broad and would be stronger if qualified. To develop the response further, compare what pictures communicate effectively with what words are needed to explain, for example, causes or context.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, paragraphs about past and present reporting, a statement of your view, and a conclusion. The progression from text-heavy reporting to modern visual news is generally understandable, and examples are placed in the relevant paragraph. However, some links feel mechanical or unclear. “In these days” and “Same on the newspaper” do not connect ideas naturally, while “which is my news stories” makes the opening difficult to follow. The paragraph about the past also combines newspaper reading, missed information, reporters’ workload, and television speeches without clearly showing how each point supports the main comparison. Use clearer topic sentences and transitions, and make each paragraph develop one central reason.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “visual content,” “weather forecasts,” “geographical map,” and “flow charts or graphs.” These terms help make the examples specific. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural or are repeated, such as “informational paragraphs,” “visual data,” and “time saving.” There are also spelling errors, including “veiwers,” “beleive,” and “showng,” which reduce accuracy. Some expressions, such as “entertaining to the viewers,” do not convey the intended meaning naturally. Build a wider set of precise terms for comparing images and text, and check spelling and common word partnerships when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses with “which” and “because,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, control is inconsistent, particularly in longer constructions. For example, “There is a belief that the pictures can explain better than the words which is my news stories…” is structurally unclear, and “Reporters and content creators have to write a long informational paragraphs” has problems with agreement and article use. Other examples include “a 8 pages newspaper,” “some important news were missed,” and “if newspapers and TV channels wants.” These errors affect clarity, although your main points can still be understood. Practise building accurate complex sentences and check singular/plural agreement, articles, and verb forms.

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