IELTS Agree/Disagree Sample: Band 7+ vs Band 8.5 Compared
When we put two answers next to the same agree/disagree question, students often ask which one to “copy.” Neither. The useful work is seeing why one draft sits at Band 7+ and the other climbs toward 8.5 — same position, same four-paragraph shape, different precision and support.
I usually start with the Band 7+ essay: clear lean, both body ideas on task, clean enough English. Then I show the 8.5 rewrite and ask what changed. It is rarely a new opinion. It is sharper paraphrase, denser examples, and concessions that offer a workable alternative instead of a vague It is true that….
Write your own timed draft before you peek, if you can. Then come back and compare.
Last updated: July 24, 2026
Table of Contents
- The question
- Band 7+ sample essay
- Band 7+ score breakdown
- Band 8.5 sample essay
- Band 8.5 score breakdown
- What lifts the 8.5 essay
- How to practise with these samples
- Questions students ask
Related: More Band 7+ samples | Agree/disagree guide | Essay types | Band descriptors
The question
Some people believe that secondary schools should focus more on academic subjects such as mathematics and science, while practical skills like cooking and carpentry should be learned outside school.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Write at least 250 words. About 40 minutes for Task 2 is the usual exam timing.
This is an opinion question (to what extent). Sitting on the fence in the introduction usually hurts Task Response. Both samples below take a clear lean: largely disagree. For the wider type map, see essay types and the agree/disagree guide. Structure templates: Task 2 structure.
Band 7+ sample essay
Some people believe secondary schools should focus more on academic subjects such as mathematics and science, while practical skills like cooking and carpentry should be learned outside school. I disagree with this view to a large extent because schools can teach useful skills to every student.
Firstly, practical skills are necessary for daily life. Students need cooking and basic repair skills when they leave their parents’ home. If these skills are only available outside school, students from poor families may not learn them because private classes are expensive. For example, many first-year university students cannot cook simple meals and they waste money on restaurants every week. If schools provide basic training, this situation can improve and education becomes fairer for everyone.
Secondly, too much focus on academic subjects can reduce some students’ motivation at school. Some learners are not strong in maths or science, so practical classes can help them feel successful at school. These classes can also support academic learning, for example by using measurement in cooking. It is true that universities care about exam grades and that timetable time is limited. However, schools do not need to remove maths or science; they can keep academic subjects as the main part and still offer a few practical lessons each week.
In conclusion, I largely disagree that practical skills should only be learned outside school. Academic subjects are important, but secondary schools should also include some practical training to help students become independent and stay interested in their studies as well.
(Approximately 251 words)
When I mark scripts at this level, Task Response and Cohesion are usually the strong part of the profile. The position is easy to find. Each body has a real job. What still feels Band 7 rather than 8 is the language density: useful skills, fairer for everyone, and a concession that is clean but a bit general.
Band 7+ score breakdown
| Criterion | Band | Why (in plain marking notes) |
|---|---|---|
| Task Response (TR) | 7.5 | Clear lean (largely disagree); both bodies answer the statement; conclusion matches |
| Coherence & Cohesion (CC) | 7.5 | Steady four-paragraph path; topic sentences clear; concession then pushback |
| Lexical Resource (LR) | 7.0 | Enough topic words; mostly precise; not rare or idiomatic throughout |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy (GRA) | 7.0 | Mix of complex lines; However… controlled; not a wide range of structures |
| Overall | 7.5 | TR/CC a touch ahead of LR/GRA — a common Band 7+ shape |
Band 8.5 sample essay
Same question. Same lean. Less template rhythm, tighter support:
Whether secondary schools should leave cooking and carpentry to families or private tutors is still disputed. I mostly disagree. If those skills stay outside the timetable, many teenagers never learn them properly — and schools are one of the few places that can reach every student.
Life skills are not a luxury extra. Once students leave home, they need to cook cheap meals, fix small problems, and manage shared flats without wasting money. Private courses can teach this, but fees shut out households that already struggle. A short school workshop in food preparation or basic repairs does not replace maths or science; it simply gives everyone a shared starting point before adulthood. That fairness argument matters more than people admit when they say “learn it at home.”
There is also a motivation point. Not every learner thrives in abstract subjects. For some, a practical class is the first place they feel competent at school, and that confidence often spills back into academic work — measuring ingredients, reading a plan, checking a budget. Timetable pressure is real, and universities still look hard at exam grades. Even so, schools do not have to choose one or the other. Keep the core academic hours, then rotate a few practical modules through the year instead of pushing every hands-on skill off campus.
So I would not strip practical training out of secondary education. Academic subjects should stay central, but a curriculum that ignores everyday competence leaves too many students unprepared — which is why I reject the idea that cooking and carpentry belong only outside school.
(Approximately 278 words)
Band 8.5 score breakdown
| Criterion | Band | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Task Response (TR) | 8.5 | Clear lean; both reasons extended with concrete school-level detail |
| Coherence & Cohesion (CC) | 8.5 | Progression is easy to follow without Firstly / Secondly scaffolding |
| Lexical Resource (LR) | 8.0 | Precise and natural (timetable, shared flats, rotate…modules, hands-on) |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy (GRA) | 8.0 | Varied complex sentences; control stays clean |
| Overall | 8.5 | High across the board, not a one-criterion spike |
What lifts the 8.5 essay
Both essays largely disagree and keep a four-paragraph shape. The jump is not a different opinion — and it should not look like a different template either.
Look at the openings. The 7+ version stays close to the question’s wording. The 8.5 version paraphrases more freely, plants the equity idea early (reach every student), and avoids stock openers like It is often argued that…. That alone makes the first ten seconds of reading feel less “memorised.”
In the bodies, the 7+ essay is clear but a bit thin in places: restaurants every week, measurement in cooking, then a neat It is true that… However…. The 8.5 essay stays with cooking and repairs from the prompt, adds shared flats and rotating modules, and answers timetable pressure without a slogan ending (equity and engagement). Sentence rhythm is also less even — short lines next to longer ones — which is closer to how strong human scripts actually read.
From the scripts I mark, students who chase “8.5 vocabulary lists” without a stable position usually slip on Task Response. Keep the 7+ clarity if your TR or cohesion is still shaky. When those hold, upgrade one paragraph at a time: freer paraphrase, one sharper example, one cleaner reply to the critic. Do not paste whole sentences into your next exam draft.
How bands are read: descriptors guide. More models: Band 7+ samples hub.
How to practise with these samples
Cover both essays and write your own answer to the same question in about 40 minutes. Then score it — tutor, partner with the descriptors, or the free essay checker.
I notice students improve fastest when they check Task Response first: is the lean as easy to find as in these samples? Next, rewrite one weak paragraph with a clearer reason → example → link, aiming for one “8.5-style” upgrade (precision or concession), not a full rewrite of every sentence. Rescore. If you use EssayGradeWise, mixed drills on Personalized Practice (Practices 1–2 free) can sit between full timed essays.
Do not memorise either sample. Examiners reward flexible language that answers this prompt — not a stored script.
Questions students ask
Can I memorise these essays for the exam?
No. From marking experience, memorised chunks are easy to spot when the question shifts slightly. Learn the shape — paraphrase, clear lean, two developed reasons, short conclusion — and rewrite in your own words.
Can partial disagreement still score Band 7+ or higher?
Yes. Largely disagree / largely agree works when you name the reservation and stay consistent. Both samples here do that. Sitting on the fence with no lean is what usually leaks Task Response.
How many words should my essay be?
Aim for roughly 270–320 when you can. The 7+ model is about 251; the 8.5 model is about 278. Under 250 risks a Task Response penalty. Far past 350 often means you left no time to clean grammar.
Where can I find more Band 7+ Task 2 samples?
Start with the Band 7+ samples collection, then write timed answers of your own before you read the models.
After you check your score
If Task Response is thin, or your examples stay vague next to these samples, fix that on the next draft — do not only chase rarer vocabulary.
- Free IELTS essay checker — no login for score-only
- Try Practices 1–2 free
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