Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

allow students at university to study abroad or to have an internship is very important for their futur career and their persenal develpment. moreover, this can be a little bit costy. this essay will examine both sides of this issue before reaching a logical conclution.

the tow major advantages of this possibilies that university can offer to students is that they see how their studies work in other contries and to be ready for the working environment. fistly, when learnes has the ability to study in another contry they see how the field that he is learning work in other places and they will have the possiblty to have more usuful knowledge thet will help them in their career. secondly, doing work placement make students more flexible and know how to deal with problem when they face it in the futur. for example, accounting students in the words don't study like each other every country have their rules so people have the opportunity to discover new informations. as a result, they will feel comfortable when they start to work.

but studing abroad or doing internships also has some major disadvantages like make university lose a lot of money. in university there are hundreds of learners so if they offer these posibilites to every students it cost a lot. in addetion, if only few of them have that possiblities it will creats an unequallity .

in conclution, although both prespectives have their merits. still the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. because offer tgis opportunitis affect both personal and economic develpment

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question and state a clear overall view in the conclusion: “the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.” The benefits you identify—learning how a subject is practised in another country and gaining workplace experience—are relevant, as is the concern about cost and unequal access. However, the position is not fully established in the introduction, which says only that the essay will examine both sides, and the comparison of advantages and disadvantages remains limited. The accounting example is difficult to follow and does not clearly show how international study benefits students. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation or a specific example, and explain why the benefits outweigh the financial and fairness concerns.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “firstly,” “secondly,” “but,” and “in addition” help signal the main stages. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the accounting example and the claim that students “will feel comfortable” are not linked explicitly to the preceding reasoning. Some connections are mechanical, and the conclusion begins “although both perspectives have their merits” but does not complete that contrast smoothly. Use clearer topic sentences and make each example’s relevance explicit. More precise referencing and transitions between claims would help the argument flow as a connected discussion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “work placement,” “working environment,” “career,” and “inequality,” and the reader can generally identify your main points. However, the range is limited and several spelling and word-choice errors make parts of the response difficult to understand, such as “costy,” “possibilies,” “usuful,” and “unequallity.” Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, including “how their studies work” and “discover new informations.” Aim to use accurate topic-specific phrases and check spelling carefully. For example, describe how students “apply their knowledge in a professional setting” rather than saying their studies “work” in another country.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a few longer structures, including “when learners has the ability to study in another country…” and “although both perspectives have their merits,” but complex sentences are often not controlled successfully. Errors in agreement and sentence construction occur in examples such as “the two major advantages … is” and “every country have their rules.” There are also problems with articles, plurals, and verb forms, as in “make university lose” and “it will creates.” The conclusion’s opening subordinate clause is left without a complete main clause. These errors sometimes make relationships between ideas unclear. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then combine them using subordinate clauses while checking subject–verb agreement and complete sentence structure.

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