Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-18

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)

Some individuals think that professionals, like doctors and engineers, should work in the country in which they did their training. while others support the fact that professionals should be free to work wherever they want to. In my opinion, professionals should be free to work in any country they want although if they can better opportunity in the country they were trained, it can benefit their own people.

On the one hand, requirement of professionals to work in the country they were trained could help to fulfill the shortage of skilled workers. Governments has invests large amount of public money in schools, colleges and institutes to educate the people of their country. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect the graduates to contribute to their own society and development of the country. for instance, many countries lacks professional doctors and engineers, especially in the rural areas, where healthcare facilities are limited. similarly, engineers could also contribute in the infrastructural development and economic growth.

On the other hand, working in other countries provides professionals the better career opportunities. some countries offers better salaries, advanced facilities and more professional opportunities than others. By working overseas, one can gain international experience, learning new skills and improve their standard of living.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You present a relevant opinion—that professionals should be free to work abroad—and discuss reasons for requiring them to stay, including public investment in education and shortages of skilled workers. You also mention overseas salaries, facilities and experience. However, the response does not fully develop either side: the benefits of retaining professionals are asserted rather than explored, and the case for freedom to move is not balanced with possible disadvantages or a specific example. Your qualification about staying when opportunities are better at home is introduced but not explained. The response is also below the required 250 words, which limits the space available to develop the discussion and support your position. Extend the reasoning and include a relevant example for each view.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph beginning “On the one hand,” and a contrasting paragraph beginning “On the other hand.” This makes the two viewpoints easy to identify, and connectors such as “Therefore” and “For instance” help show relationships between ideas. However, the discussion ends abruptly after the advantages of working overseas, without a conclusion that restates your position. Some links are mechanical, and the examples in the first body paragraph are listed rather than developed into a clear progression. Improve the overall flow by organising each paragraph around one main claim, explaining it, and then illustrating it. Add a concluding paragraph that brings the comparison and your opinion together.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “shortage of skilled workers,” “public money,” “international experience,” and “infrastructural development.” These phrases communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and some word combinations are unnatural or imprecise, such as “support the fact that,” “better career opportunities,” and “contribute in the infrastructural development.” Repetition of “professionals,” “country,” and “work” also reduces flexibility. Aim for more precise collocations and vary references to the people and places being discussed. For example, you could use “qualified specialists,” “employment prospects,” and “contribute to infrastructure development.” Check word forms and spelling as well, including “infrastructure” and “facilities,” to make the vocabulary more accurate and natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional idea in the introduction and clauses introduced by “where” and “although.” Meaning is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence boundaries are noticeable. Examples include “Governments has invests,” “many countries lacks,” and “some countries offers”; these should be “governments have invested,” “many countries lack,” and “some countries offer.” The opening “while” and several sentence beginnings such as “for instance” and “similarly” need capital letters. The phrase “although if they can better opportunity” is also structurally incomplete. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and build complex sentences around complete clauses, then proofread punctuation and capitalisation.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.