Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

All university undergraduate courses should include a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a work placement.

Do you think the advantages of this would outweigh the disadvantages?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Courses development

Thousands of students graduate yearly in Every country, studying in different fields and majors. Recently, a new question has shown up, especially after all the experts and talented students we have. How can we evaluate students? And how universities should help their students to improve their skills?

Many people believe that courses at universities should send the learners to study abroad or do a work placement, as these two will help them to strengthen their skills and knowledge.

Sending students to study abroad will definitely widen their perspective and give them a lifetime experience while they are still young and learners, the exposure they may face in a different country with its culture and tradition, along with all the differences it might have. They will learn a new language and absorb the knowledge of doing a specific job related to their field of study, they may also get a new job opportunity abroad, particularly, after meeting many students and workers abroad. On the other hand, traveling is expensive indeed, and it will cost them huge amount of dollars, ranging between flight tickets, accommodations, transportation, and many others.

Another suggestion is to do a work placement, which is believed to be helpful generally. It should show students to better understand how is life after graduation, and how jobs look like usually. Students arrange a place to complete their placement in, and they will be committed to complete the whole period of training, which will teach them how their job is totally different from their study at the university. In contrast, a workplace experience along with their courses at the college will not be easy, as they need to focus on their study, personal life, and their training as well. Sometimes they are likely to face situations at work they cannot bear easily as students, maybe due to the lack of experience.

At the end, there is no doubt that traveling abroad and having such a work placement will improve the overall level and skills of students, but still, students should not be suffering from overload work and heavy duty they might be asked to do.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both proposed options—study abroad and work placement—and gives relevant benefits and drawbacks, such as cultural exposure, job opportunities, travel costs, and the pressure of balancing training with study. However, the question asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, and your position is only implied in the conclusion: you say these experiences improve students’ skills but caution against overload. State clearly whether you believe the benefits outweigh the costs and pressures, then maintain that judgement throughout. Several points, including the claim that students may find a job abroad and the difficulties of workplace situations, are introduced but not explained with a specific example or fuller reasoning. Developing these ideas would make the response address the evaluative part of the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two options, and a concluding paragraph. This helps the reader follow the main topics, and transitions such as “On the other hand” and “In contrast” signal opposing points. However, the opening raises broad questions about evaluating students that do not lead directly into the argument, and the overall progression toward a clear answer to the outweigh question is limited. Some links are mechanical or unclear; for example, “Another suggestion” does not clearly connect the work-placement discussion to the comparison of advantages and disadvantages. Organise each body paragraph around a clear main claim, explain it, and link it back to your overall judgement. A more decisive conclusion would also strengthen the progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of vocabulary, including “widen their perspective,” “exposure,” “accommodations,” and “lack of experience,” which allows you to discuss both opportunities and challenges. There are also attempts at more specific expressions such as “work placement” and “lifetime experience.” However, several word choices and collocations are noticeably inaccurate or unnatural, including “courses development,” “huge amount of dollars,” “show students to better understand,” and “overload work.” These sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Aim to learn vocabulary in natural combinations and choose formal, accurate phrasing—for example, describe the financial burden as “substantial travel and accommodation costs.” Check word forms and spelling, including the capitalisation of “Every,” to improve consistency.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response attempts a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “while,” “as,” and “which,” and most ideas remain understandable. However, complex structures are often not controlled accurately. For example, “It should show students to better understand how is life after graduation” has an incorrect verb pattern and question-word order; “how jobs look like” also uses an incorrect embedded-question structure. There are further problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “it will cost them huge amount” and the long sentence beginning “Sending students to study abroad will definitely widen their perspective.” Practise forming indirect questions (“what life is like”) and review articles and clause punctuation. More accurate control of these patterns would make your argument easier to read.

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

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