Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-09

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)

The undergraduate students of the University needs to include a time period of doing a work alongside their studies. This essay agrees that working with education is more advantageous and outweigh the disadvantages that follows. Practical knowledge is very important along with theoretical knowledge that students will get by working in the real world life. The study expenses and other monetary burdens can be minimised as well.

After completing university, a student has to work in the society for achieving their personal and professional goals. If they have an exposure to the practical work they will be doing the future, it will become more easy for them during the study and after the study as well. When students work in the pharmaceutcial industry , they get exposure to the labs , equipments, machinery, chemicals , reagents , etc. This will help them in memorizing the chemical reactions in a better way as compare to reading or writing the reactions. Also, when we do a task with our own hands , it is most likely to be remembered for many days.

By working part-time or as an intern , salary is given to the students. They can utilise this amount for paying their rents , expenses of books and stationary and also other daily expenses. This provides them monetary benefits and a sense of fullfillment.

To conclude , working either part time or trainee or intern is important and should be included as a part of curriculum of the university progarms.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you support including practical work in undergraduate courses, and you give two relevant reasons—gaining practical experience and easing students’ financial burdens. The pharmacy example helps illustrate how workplace exposure could reinforce learning. However, the response only partly addresses the exact proposal, which allows either studying abroad or completing a work placement; your discussion focuses almost entirely on work, without considering study abroad. The advantages are identified but not fully weighed against possible disadvantages, such as unequal access to placements or time taken from academic study. Develop each reason with fuller explanation and a specific example, and explicitly compare the benefits with likely drawbacks to make the argument more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs presenting separate benefits, and a conclusion. This makes the main line of argument reasonably easy to follow. The progression from practical learning to financial support is logical, and phrases such as “Also” and “To conclude” signal connections between ideas. However, the development within paragraphs is sometimes abrupt: the discussion moves from workplace exposure to memorising chemical reactions without fully explaining the link, and the financial paragraph is brief. Some linking is repetitive or mechanical, while punctuation around commas and lists interrupts the flow. Use clearer topic sentences and explain how each example supports the central claim; a paragraph addressing disadvantages and weighing them against the benefits would also strengthen the overall progression.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “practical knowledge,” “theoretical knowledge,” “intern,” “monetary benefits,” and “curriculum.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and the pharmacy-related examples add some specificity. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, such as “real world life,” “study expenses,” and “a sense of fullfillment.” There are also spelling errors, including “pharmaceutcial,” “equipments,” “stationary,” and “progarms,” which reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise academic phrasing and check spelling carefully. Vary repeated terms such as “work” and “students,” and choose expressions that fit the intended meaning, for example, “workplace experience” rather than “practical work” when discussing professional exposure.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including conditional phrasing (“If they have an exposure…”) and a relative clause (“that students will get by working…”). The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “The undergraduate students of the University needs” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “it will become more easy” uses an incorrect comparative form. “As compare to reading” also has an incorrect verb form, and the opening sentence does not clearly express the task’s requirement. Commas are often placed with spaces before them or used inconsistently. Practise accurate sentence patterns and proofread for agreement, articles, and punctuation; clearer, controlled complex sentences would improve precision.

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