Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-11-13

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)

Many people believe that universities undergraduate programs should include abroad studies or internships. The primary advantage is that students can gain practical experiance and develop several professional skills. However, financial requirements can cause additional burden especially for low-income families.

The main advantage of internship program is that students can gain experience. They can practically apply their theoritical knowledge into the real world. This helps them understanding of concepts more effectively. As a result, students can easily get jobs following their graduation. For instance, students from geology and environmental science departments mostly do atleast six months work placement inorder to gain practical experience through field work. Moreover, studying abroad can also help students to develop personal and professional skills. During foreign studies, students learn about different cultures and languages which encourage thm to develop effective collaboration and communication skills with their peers.

However, studying abroad can sometimes cause additional financial burden. Students are require to cover various expenses including accommodation, food, transportation, medical and tuition fees. Consquently, students from low-income families may not afford it. In addition, language and cultural differences can also discourage them pursuing their degree abroad. This is becasue, mostly overseas degree programs teach in their native languages which may create significant issue in undertsanding of concepts clearly.

In conclusion, although studying abroad and short-term work placement cause signinficant impact on students' career as they can get practical experience and develop professional skills. But excessive financial expenditures and

language differences could discourage students.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both sides of the question with relevant points: placements can provide practical experience and improve job prospects, while overseas study may create financial and language barriers. However, the response does not clearly answer the central question of whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The conclusion lists benefits and drawbacks but does not state which side is stronger, so your position remains unclear. Several ideas also need fuller explanation: for example, the geology placement example illustrates practical experience, but the benefits of studying abroad and the impact of costs are not supported with specific examples or developed consequences. The response is also five words below the required minimum. State your view directly and extend the main points with explanation or evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for advantages and disadvantages, and a conclusion. This makes the main topics easy to identify. You use basic linking expressions such as “However,” “As a result,” and “In addition” to show relationships between ideas. At times, though, progression is weakened by abrupt or unclear connections. The conclusion begins “although” but then uses “But,” leaving the contrast grammatically incomplete and the final position unresolved. Some sentences also move quickly from a claim to a result without enough explanation, such as the link between overseas study and communication skills. Develop each paragraph in a clearer sequence and use referencing and transitions more precisely.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use vocabulary relevant to education and employment, including “practical experience,” “professional skills,” “accommodation,” and “cultural differences.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and there are attempts at more specific language such as “field work” and “low-income families.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural combinations are noticeable, including “experiance,” “additional financial burden,” and “signinficant impact.” Some wording is also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “students” and “experience.” Aim for accurate spelling and more natural collocations, and vary key terms where possible. For example, “financial burden” could be expressed as “financial strain,” while “get jobs” could be made more precise as “secure employment.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “which,” “as,” and “although.” Most of the meaning is understandable, but errors in sentence structure and grammatical forms occur across the response. Examples include “They can practically apply their theoritical knowledge,” where the object construction is faulty, and “students are require to cover,” where the verb form is incorrect. The final sentence is also incomplete in its contrast: “although … But …” does not form a complete, well-controlled structure. There are further issues with articles and agreement, as in “internship program” and “students … may not afford it.” Practise checking verb forms, sentence boundaries, and complete clause structures, especially in longer sentences.

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.