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)

Yes , do think university graduate courses should include a time doing a work placement or studing abroad because it makes a person more knowledgeable and they get to know what they are actually studying in the book from there live hands in the work .

firstly, i think that the college should provide the working experience to the graduates because it can help the in progress in the work field they are studying and letting them doing practically on job is far more better than practical classes and during job they also get the financial security towards themselves , they get to know how there time is managed.

secondly, i can tell you my fathers past experience which he shared with me was that when he was my age he was sent by his college for studying in uk for his masters in optometry, then he told about how he was managing his time with study and partime work he used to gets frustrated in between those and he said he learned so much from that he got more exprosure to world and got to learn about good lifestyle and living standards and also told me that study also diffent from india , he told that life only hard there because u are alone there you have to do all thing by your self.

In the end i just want to say that the college study make both the options for the students like if they want they can go abroad for higher education or if they want thay can get work placements also it should be on the students preferences only.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a relevant opinion that placements or overseas study can help students gain practical knowledge, manage their time and experience life beyond their home country. Your father’s experience in the UK is a useful personal example, and the conclusion returns to the topic. However, the response does not clearly answer whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The account of your father’s frustration and being alone hints at drawbacks, but these are not weighed against the benefits, and the final preference for letting students choose shifts away from the question of whether all courses should include a period abroad or a placement. Develop both sides and state your overall judgement clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has an overall structure, with an opening, two body paragraphs signalled by “firstly” and “secondly,” and a concluding paragraph. The ideas generally follow a sensible order, and the personal example supports the discussion. However, progression is sometimes difficult to follow because several points are packed into long sentences, particularly in the paragraph about your father. Connections between ideas are also occasionally unclear: the discussion moves from work experience to financial security and time management without explaining how these points relate. Use clearer sentence boundaries and make each paragraph develop one main point. The conclusion should directly summarise your comparison rather than introduce student choice as the main solution.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “work placement,” “financial security,” “managing my time,” and “living standards,” which helps communicate the topic. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making meaning less clear. For example, “live hands in the work” does not express the idea of practical experience naturally, and “more knowledgeable” is broad where a more precise phrase could describe applied skills. Spelling errors such as “studing,” “exprosure,” and “partime” are also noticeable. Build a bank of accurate phrases for education and employment, and check spelling and word forms carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including clauses linked with “because,” “when,” and “that.” This shows an effort to express reasons and recount an experience. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and frequent errors can make the reader work to understand the intended meaning. Examples include “do think university graduate courses,” “it can help the in progress,” and “he used to gets frustrated”; these show problems with sentence formation, pronouns, and verb forms. There are also inconsistent capitalisation and punctuation, such as lowercase “i” and long sentences joined without clear boundaries. Practise building accurate subject–verb sentences first, then add subordinate clauses and review each verb form.

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