Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-19

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 6.5)

It is often observed that media broadcasts and journalism heavily rely on visual elements. Some people argue that pictures or images are a more effective way to convey a message than text. I believe that both elements are equally important and complementary for conveying news. I will explain my point with a suitable example in the upcoming paragraph.

To start with, there are lots of ways that pictures catch everyone's attention easily compared to text or written messages. This will also lead to the breaking of language barriers and automatically create a powerful emotional connection. For example: If a war happens in any country, like Iran, People from different countries will relate to the war and feel emotional while seeing pictures of the war; it also breaks language barriers.

On the other side of the coin, I believe that text is also vital for representing news, as it is also mandatory to provide accurate context, data and background history of the image. It also helps with analysis without being biased. For example: In a telecast, a picture of a man is shown with the text written that he ran away after stealing expensive accessories from the store. The prompt will help people to understand what he did rather than judging only by seeing the photo.

To conclude, there are lots opf people who believe that images are more important than written statements. I think that while a picture grabs attention and tells a visceral story about the scenario, text provides the detailed information that is needed to comprehend the event.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: pictures and words are “equally important and complementary,” and the conclusion restates this view. You address both sides of the question and support them with relevant examples: images of war can create an emotional response across language barriers, while accompanying text can explain the circumstances behind an image and reduce snap judgements. This gives the response a clear, relevant argument. To develop it further, explain more precisely how the examples demonstrate effectiveness—for instance, distinguish the speed and emotional impact of images from the accuracy and detail words can provide. The claim that text helps people analyse news “without being biased” is also broad; qualify it, since written reporting can itself be biased.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs consider images and text respectively, and the conclusion brings the argument together. Linking phrases such as “To start with,” “On the other side of the coin,” and “To conclude” make the stages easy to follow, and the examples are placed in the relevant paragraphs. Some connections are less smooth or precise. “I will explain my point with a suitable example in the upcoming paragraph” promises only one example, although the essay gives two, and “This will also lead to” has a somewhat unclear reference. Aim for more natural transitions that show the relationship between claims, rather than relying mainly on formulaic paragraph openers.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the topic, including “visual elements,” “language barriers,” “emotional connection,” “accurate context,” and “background history.” The closing contrast between a picture that “grabs attention” and text that provides “detailed information” is effective. However, some choices are imprecise or awkward: “the breaking of language barriers” would be more naturally expressed as “overcoming language barriers,” while “the prompt” is unclear for the accompanying written explanation. There are also spelling and word-choice slips, notably “opf” and “telecast.” Greater precision in collocations and a careful proofread would make your vocabulary more controlled and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the contrastive clause “while a picture grabs attention … text provides the detailed information” and the conditional example beginning “If a war happens.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and the paragraphing helps the reader follow the argument. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain. In “For example: If a war happens,” the colon is not needed after the introductory phrase; “People” should not be capitalised mid-sentence. The sentence beginning “The prompt will help people” is also awkwardly connected to the preceding example and would be clearer as a separate sentence with an explicit subject such as “This caption.” Continue varying sentence structures while checking punctuation, capitalisation, and how clauses are joined.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.