Practical Skills in School Curriculum
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 275 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
Some people think that children should learn practical skills like cooking and managing money at school, in addition to traditional academic subjects. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01State your position clearly in the introduction
- 02Use concrete examples of practical skills and how they relate to daily life
- 03Address potential counterarguments to show balanced thinking
- 04Use real-world evidence such as country comparisons to strengthen your case
- 05Avoid vague generalisations — be specific about which skills and why they matter
Model answer
275 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
I firmly agree that schools should incorporate practical life skills such as cooking, financial literacy, and basic household management into their curricula alongside traditional academic subjects. These skills are fundamental to independent living, yet are increasingly neglected in both educational and domestic settings.
The most persuasive argument for teaching practical skills in schools is that many children no longer learn them at home. In households where both parents work full-time, there is often less opportunity for the informal transmission of skills like cooking, budgeting, or basic repairs that previous generations took for granted. Schools have a responsibility to fill this gap and ensure that all children, regardless of their home circumstances, are equipped for adult life.
Moreover, practical skills can reinforce academic learning in meaningful ways. Cooking involves chemistry, measurement, and following sequential instructions. Managing money requires numeracy, percentage calculations, and understanding of compound interest. When abstract academic concepts are applied to real-world tasks, students often find them more engaging and easier to remember, which can actually enhance rather than detract from their academic performance.
Critics may argue that the school day is already overcrowded with subjects and that adding practical skills would reduce time for core academic study. While this concern is understandable, it is worth noting that countries such as Finland — which includes practical skills in its national curriculum — consistently outperform many nations that focus exclusively on academics. This suggests that a balanced curriculum need not come at the expense of academic achievement.
In conclusion, practical skills are not a luxury but a necessity for preparing young people for independent life. Schools are ideally placed to provide this education equitably to all children.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
16 fewer than the median answer for this task type
8 words at the shortest, 31 at the longest
1 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 19.6 words and vary by 7.6 words either side of that, running from 8 words to 31. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 8 of the 14 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
7 in total, spread across 5 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
while, yet
moreover
such as
in conclusion
granted
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 80 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 71 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 3 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Present a clear opinion supported by relevant, developed ideas
Coherence & Cohesion
Well-organised paragraphs with clear topic sentences
Lexical Resource
Appropriate vocabulary with good range and precision
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Varied sentence structures with good control
You have read one model answer. Now get one marked.
Paste your own attempt at this question and get a band for each criterion, with the exact sentences costing you marks.
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