Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-15
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 has been commonly seen by many people that reading books with images makes them interesting as well as it will help to store the information very easy. Same concepts are used in News T.V. and in newspapers. Some people claim that images are more effective than words. I totally agree with that statement.
Firstly pictures help the mind to grasp the information very quick because they are in the form of visuals. For example, a child can see the image of dog and tell very easily that it is dog whereas on the hand if it is written in words it might be difficult for him to remember. Along with that, memorizing the words is difficult for anybody than storing the image in their minds. The reason is in a single picture you can understand the whole concept without reading the whole paragraph.
Moving forward it has been seen by people that they found books very boring without any picture. So to make it interesting and joyful creators start adding the images in their books. Along with that it takes very long time to understand the topic without any picture because you have to read the whole page or the whole chapter but with the images explaining that topic can make it very fast to store in their memory. For instance, teacher did a survey with the whole class to make their student learn about a topic on photosynthesis where some students hard to understand about it but when she show the motion image of that topic everybody understand it very well.
In Conclusion, I agree that pictures are way more helpful than the words.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
Your position is clear from the introduction—“I totally agree”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You give relevant reasons, including that pictures can help people grasp and remember information, and the photosynthesis example supports your point. This addresses the question, but the discussion is not fully developed: the child-and-dog example is quite simple, and the photosynthesis example would be stronger with clearer detail about what the image showed and why it helped. The response also focuses mainly on learning and books, rather than directly comparing pictures with words in TV and newspaper news stories. To strengthen the argument, explain when words may communicate context or detail better, then show why pictures are still more effective overall.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The ideas generally progress from memory and understanding to making material more engaging, and examples are placed alongside the points they support. Linking phrases such as “Firstly,” “Moving forward,” and “In Conclusion” help signal the stages of the argument. However, some connections feel mechanical, and “Along with that” is repeated. The second body paragraph also combines several claims—books being boring, reading taking longer, and the photosynthesis example—without clearly separating or developing them. Use more precise links between each claim and its evidence, and make references such as “that topic” clearer so the reader can follow the progression more smoothly.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use enough vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including relevant terms such as “visuals,” “memorizing,” “concept,” and “photosynthesis.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, which makes parts of the response less clear. For example, “store the information very easy” and “store the image in their minds” do not express the ideas naturally; “remember information easily” and “retain an image” would be more suitable. “Motion image” is also unclear in the example, where “animated diagram” may be intended. Repeated use of “picture,” “image,” and “very” further limits variety. Build a more precise range for discussing news, such as “illustrate,” “convey,” and “visual evidence,” and check that each phrase fits its context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a reason clause beginning “because” and a contrast introduced by “whereas.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but some errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction reduce accuracy. For example, “creators start adding” shifts tense within a past-tense account, while “when she show” and “everybody understand” need past-tense forms. In “a child can see the image of dog,” the article before “dog” is missing. The sentence beginning “For instance, teacher did a survey” also lacks an article and has an unclear structure. Review tense consistency and subject–verb agreement, and practise checking articles in singular countable nouns. More accurate complex sentences would make your reasoning easier to follow.
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