Some people think that universities should not provide so much theoretical knowledge but give more practical training throughout their courses. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Sample Response

1

In the past, a majority of academics have held the opinion that universities should only offer a theoretically basedtheoretically-based approach to teaching throughout their courses, as opposed to the relatively recent trend towards the empirical acquisition of knowledge involving more “hands-on”“hands on” experience. Is this the most effective way for students to learn essential academic knowledgevital academic information while undertaking their degrees? Undoubtedly, the advantages and disadvantages of both learning stylesadvantages and disadvantages of both academic learning styles have to be evaluated. FirstlyFirstly, on the one hand, despite being the more traditional educational approach, learning from theory in relevant academic literaturediscourses to identify established knowledge allows us to gain professional insightgain a professional insight. For example, students can easily identify facts and opinions from past discourses. In addition, students acquire knowledge more easily when given relevantrelative theoretical examples to build upon. For instance, in subjects such as history or sociology, studying textbook examples allows students to unravel complex academic theories that they can explore furtherwhich they could expand on. Alternatively, there are some disadvantages for students. On the other hand, Deletethere is no doubt that students could find themselves reading tedious and monotonous academic papers. For instance, university degrees involving the evaluation of numerous ‘long-winded’ academic discourses provide little inspirationprovide a little inspiration for students, reducing students’ enthusiasmdiscouraging enthusiasm. DeleteObviously, interest can be stimulated through empirical research in class. By this, I mean that people often learn best by doing‘the human brain learns best by doing’. Although time-consuming, there is no substitute for learning from making mistakes. In conclusion, while both approaches have benefits and drawbacks in our ever-changing academic world, I honestly believe that a more practical approach promotes a stronger acquisition of academic knowledge. In spite of the comprehensive foundation that theoretical teaching can providenature which theoretical teaching can possibly provide, practical learning produces more positive outcomespractical learning equals more positive learning for future generations.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response shows strong command of academic language and presents a clear preference for practical learning after considering both approaches. Its main limitation is that several points are asserted briefly or expressed in over-elaborate, imprecise language, while the absence of clear paragraph breaks weakens the structure. Prioritise developing the practical-training case with one precise, fully explained example and organise each main idea in a distinct paragraph.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

7.0
Scoring rule

The response addresses both approaches and reaches a clear, relevant position, although some supporting points remain briefly developed.

Next step

State the position earlier and develop the case for practical training with a specific, fully explained example.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.0
Scoring rule

Ideas progress logically overall, but the single-block presentation and somewhat mechanical linking reduce structural clarity.

Next step

Use distinct introduction, body, and conclusion paragraphs, with each body paragraph centred on one controlling idea.

LR

Lexical Resource

7.0
Scoring rule

Vocabulary is varied and often sophisticated, though several collocations are over-elaborate or imprecise.

Next step

Prefer natural, exact phrasing over abstract expressions such as repeated references to academic discourses and empirical acquisition.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0
Scoring rule

A wide range of complex structures is generally controlled, with occasional awkward clauses and minor form errors.

Next step

Edit complex sentences for cleaner relative clauses, prepositions, and comparisons so that sophistication never weakens precision.

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IELTS Writing Task 2

Some people think that universities should not provide so much theoretical knowledge but give more practical training throughout their courses. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Your response

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