Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-26

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)

In this contemporary society, people put more empahsis on visuals than words for the news, as they believe pictures are more important to understand a story rather than words. In my opinion, both words and visuals are essential for deep analysis.

Visuals give a quick and expressive interpretation of news stories so in newspapers and TV shows a lot of pictures are shown so that readers and viewers can grab the news quickly. For example, it has been proven by research that our brain comprehend visuals fast for the analysis of any news; videos, pictures and diagrams and quickly interpretated by brain making easy comprehension. This is the reason writers and anchors play videos on television to make viewers know the story.

Words, on the other hand, are crucial for deep analysis and basic knowlege of the story. For instance, if a news channel air a news of missing child with his photo on TV then people cannot deeply understand the matter without anchor person telling the details such as age, name,and address of child and when and where he was last seen. Words would provide all this basic as well necessary information. Therefore, words and visuals complement each other for better and complete comprehesion of stories.

In conclusion, undoubtedly, images and videos are important part of any news story either in newspaper or TV channels because they provide fast and better connection to the matter, however, words give more detailed information and deep understanding of the narrative. I believe a balance between both is crucial for complete comprehension of the matter.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear: you argue that pictures communicate quickly, while words provide the detail needed for fuller understanding. You address both sides of the question and support them with relevant examples, especially the missing-child report, which shows why a photograph alone is insufficient. This meets the task well, and the explanation of how the two forms complement each other gives your response a clear central argument. To develop the ideas further, explain more precisely when pictures might be more effective than words, or acknowledge that their impact can depend on the type of story. The claim about research and rapid visual processing is relevant but general; a specific example or clearer explanation would make the support more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs contrast the roles of visuals and words, and the conclusion restates the balanced position. Transitions such as “on the other hand,” “for instance,” and “therefore” help readers follow the argument. The progression from quick understanding to detailed information is logical. Some linking is repetitive or mechanical, however, particularly the repeated use of “so” and “therefore,” and the first body paragraph’s explanation of visual processing is difficult to follow in places. Improve cohesion by making the relationship between each example and its main point explicit, and vary transitions rather than relying on familiar signposts. Clearer sentence boundaries would also make the paragraph flow more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “expressive interpretation,” “deep analysis,” “complement each other,” and “complete comprehension.” These choices help communicate the contrast between the immediate impact of images and the detail provided by words. There are also some inaccurate or awkward choices that limit precision, such as “grab the news,” “basic knowlege,” and “better connection to the matter.” Spelling errors, including “empahsis,” “interpretated,” and “comprehesion,” are noticeable, although the intended meaning is generally clear. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for the effect of images and the information supplied by reporting would make the argument sound more fluent and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including contrast clauses with “while” and “however,” and conditional phrasing in the missing-child example. Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors reduce accuracy. For example, “our brain comprehend” has a subject–verb agreement error, and “if a news channel air” should use a singular verb form. The sentence beginning “videos, pictures and diagrams” is also incomplete and lacks a clear grammatical connection to the preceding clause. There are occasional article, plural, and punctuation problems, as in “an important part” and the spacing around commas. Review agreement and sentence completeness, and divide long sentences where needed to improve control.

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