Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-10

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)

All university students graduating should give opportunity of studying abroad for some period of time or for work placement. There are variety of advantages and disadvantages of this aspect of studying outside the country. Well, benefits are more in respect to drawbacks.

Positive returns for spending some smesters of graduation in another area of universe. For example doing research work in Europe give competent environment moreover raise our skills along with that vast our aspect of thinking. Furthermore, is that it give us many positive features like learning others culture their way of living. One of the main reason is that this make students to be independent plus learn many languages of other nations. Students develop professional connections or academic networks.

Some of the negative impacts of international study is that youth have to be finanacially strong enough to stay in foreign. For example paying rent for the room or an apartment in which they live. In addition to that, paying heavy feeses for university and food expenses that we didn't care in our own country. The main weakness is to tackle with language barrier that always take time to learn a different language for international education also for everday communication with others.

In conclusion, if a individual is ecnomically strong or having a good background in respect of money he or she should experience this to get eduaction internationally. In my opinion, uses are more than shortcoming. A person learn vast things like how to be punctual more is that to be independent or habits of living alone as well as manage things as a single person without anyones help.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the question and state a clear view that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, first in the introduction and again in the conclusion. Relevant advantages include developing independence, learning about other cultures, and building professional or academic connections; you also identify financial pressure and language barriers. However, several points are asserted rather than explained. For instance, the claim that studying abroad improves thinking skills is not illustrated, and the conclusion introduces punctuality and managing life alone without developing how these support your argument. The discussion also treats overseas study as the main option, while the prompt includes work placements. Develop fewer points with specific explanations or examples, and compare the benefits and costs more directly to make your position more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. This makes the main direction easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “In addition,” and “In conclusion” help signal stages in the argument. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. The opening of the advantages paragraph, “Positive returns for spending…,” is a fragment rather than a clear topic sentence, and “Furthermore, is that…” does not connect smoothly to the preceding idea. The conclusion also shifts quickly from the overall judgement to several new benefits. Use complete topic sentences, connect each example explicitly to its main point, and avoid introducing fresh arguments in the final paragraph.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You attempt vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “professional connections,” “academic networks,” “language barrier,” and “independent.” These choices show an effort to discuss education and its practical effects. However, inaccurate word choice, collocation, word forms, and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make ideas difficult to interpret. Examples include “vast our aspect of thinking,” “smesters,” “feeses,” and “uses are more than shortcoming.” Some expressions, such as “foreign” for a place or country, are also imprecise. Build a reliable set of topic-specific phrases and check spelling and collocations carefully. Prefer clear, natural wording over ambitious expressions when you are unsure of their meaning or grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You use both simple statements and some attempts at longer structures, including examples introduced with “For example” and clauses explaining costs and language barriers. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but sentence construction and control of verb forms and agreement are inconsistent. For example, “doing research work in Europe give” needs a subject–verb agreement correction, while “One of the main reason is that this make students” contains errors in both the plural noun and verb agreement. “Furthermore, is that it give us…” is also an incomplete construction. Several sentences join ideas without clear grammatical links. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, then check agreement, articles, and clause boundaries. More accurate control of these patterns would make your varied sentence attempts easier to follow.

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.