Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Barron's Writing · 2026-08-15

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some educational systems, children are required to study one or more foreign languages. In others, foreign language study is not a requirement. What are the potential benefits of foreign language study? 

Do you think foreign language study is an important part of education?

Give reasons for your answer, and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

In some school children have to learn one or more foreign languages. In other schools, it is not compulsory. I believe learning a foreign language is very important for students. There are many benefits of studying a foreign language.

In todays world, many companies work with other countries. They need people who can speak more than one language. For example, if a student in Pakistan knows English he can easily get job in IT, call centers, or freelancing. English is also needed for most international companies.

Language and culture are connected. When we learn a new language, we learn about that country's history, food and way of living. This makes us more open minded and respectful. For instance, learning Arabic helps Muslims understand the Quran letters, and learning Chinese can help in CPEC projects.

Studies show that children who learn two languages have better memory and problem solving skills. They also perform well in other school subjects.

In my opinion, foreign language study should be a compulsory part of education. We live in a global world with internet, travel and online education. Without a second language, students will lose many opportunities . In Pakistan, we study English from the beginning, and this helps us get scholarships and study abroad.

In conclusion, learning a foreign language gives career benefits, cultural knowledge, and mental growth. Therefore, every students should be required to learn at least one foreign language in school.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the benefits of language study and the necessity of it in education. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas regarding career prospects, cultural understanding, and cognitive benefits are relevant, they are presented in a somewhat list-like fashion. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your examples with more detailed explanations or personal insights. Because the response is under-length, it fails to fully develop the arguments as required for a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'For example', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the transitions between sentences are sometimes a bit mechanical, and the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect your arguments more fluidly. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the overall structure feels slightly simplistic due to the brevity of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'compulsory', 'global world', and 'scholarships'. However, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive. To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and less common lexical items related to education and linguistics. For instance, instead of repeating 'important' or 'learn', you could use 'crucial', 'essential', 'acquire', or 'master'. There are no significant spelling errors, but the word choice is generally quite basic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'In todays world' (missing apostrophe), 'get job' (missing article 'a'), and 'every students' (subject-verb agreement error). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for articles, pluralization, and punctuation. Incorporating more varied complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or relative clauses, would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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

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