Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people believe that professionals, such as doctors and engineers, should be required to work in the country where they did their training. Others believe they should be free to work in another country if they wish.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

There is an ongoing debate regarding, professional's people. A group of individuals believe that professional's such as doctors and engineers should be work in the country where they did their training. However, others argue that they should be free to work in another country. Therefore ahead of my opinion, both the views will be discussed further.

Examining the former opinion, the primary argument the supporters would put forward is that the doctors and engineers should be work in their own country for the welfare of their nation because governments spend alot of money on education and training, especially in fields such as engineering and medicine. Therefore, these professionals should give something back to society by serving their own nation. Furthermore, developing countries often face a shortage of skilled worker. If doctors and engineers move abroad local people may struggle to receive proper healthcare and other essential services.

On the contrary, those in favour of latter opinion have their own arguments. To begin with, they claim that professionals should have the right to work abroad. One major reason is that other countries may offer better salaries, working conditions and career opportunities. This allow professionals to improve their living standards and develop their skills.

To conclude and offer my position, there are convincing arguments both for and against living in their own country. However, I certainly favour the latter opinion that professionals should allowed to work in any part of the world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both positions and state a clear preference for professionals to be free to work abroad, so the response is relevant to the task. The argument for staying is supported with reasons about public investment and shortages of skilled workers, but the opposing view is only briefly developed: better pay and conditions are mentioned without an example or explanation of how international work benefits professionals or society. The conclusion repeats your preference but does not add support. The response contains 222 words, below the required 250; 18 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. This limits the space available to develop both views. Extend the second argument and support your position with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, one paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Paragraphing helps the reader follow the broad contrast, and transitions such as “However” and “On the contrary” signal changes in direction. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, particularly in the paragraph supporting overseas work, which moves from rights to benefits without further explanation. Some linking phrases are awkward or mechanical, including “Therefore ahead of my opinion” and “To conclude and offer my position.” The opening also repeats the task’s contrast rather than setting up a focused line of argument. Use simpler, accurate transitions and develop each main point through explanation or an example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “welfare,” “shortage of skilled worker,” “working conditions,” and “career opportunities.” These choices make the main ideas understandable, but the range is limited and some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural. For example, “professional’s people” and “professional’s such as” misuse the word and apostrophe, while “give something back to society” is less precise in this formal context. “This allow professionals” also reflects a word-form problem. Aim for accurate collocations and a wider range of topic-specific language, such as describing public investment, workforce shortages, or professional development precisely. Proofread spelling and word forms, and avoid repeating “professionals” where a clear alternative is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “If doctors and engineers move abroad, local people may struggle to receive proper healthcare.” However, control is inconsistent, and several errors occur in basic verb forms and sentence construction. Examples include “should be work” instead of “should work,” “This allow” instead of “This allows,” and “should allowed” instead of “should be allowed.” The opening phrase “There is an ongoing debate regarding, professional's people” is also grammatically unclear, and the comma after “regarding” is misplaced. These errors sometimes make the reader pause, even though the overall meaning can usually be recovered. Practise accurate modal constructions and subject–verb agreement, then check punctuation and sentence boundaries.

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