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)

In recent years, practical life experience is concerning as a skill for better job opportunities. If a real work experience or spending a period of time studying abroad included in undergraduate courses by all universities can bring much more skilled candidates to a nation. i partially agree with this but there are some drawbacks too. I think the advantages and disadvantages are equally balanced in this topic .

There are two key advantages of having a practical work or abroad study for partial time in an undergraduate course. Firstly , it wiil prepare the candidates with social and practical work knowledge that make a undergraduate student more capable for their future. Secondly, it will bring better job opportunities for the undergraduate students. Many company seeking for skilled candidates for work. If undergraduate students are more capable in their first job then it will be easy to rely on own financial settlement rather than waiting for gaining skill and finding better jobs.

Along with advantages there are some drawbacks too. By adding opportunities of practical work palce or studying abroad this can lead to more expense to the courses, some students surley can not afford this expense. Moreover, there are can be some family issues like it any candidate have ill parents and have no one to take care off than it will be hard for them to leave the country for study.

Nevertheless , There is some drawbacks but if a candidate is eager for their better future and well-settlement they need to appreciate tfor having a period of time spent studying abroad or doing a practial work placement included in their undergraduate courses by all universities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both the benefits and drawbacks and give a position: “I partially agree,” followed by the view that they are “equally balanced.” The points about practical skills and employment, as well as added costs and family responsibilities, are relevant to the question. However, the position is not fully consistent: the conclusion urges students to appreciate placements, without clearly confirming whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are also under-developed. For example, you mention better job opportunities but do not give a specific example or explain how a placement would improve employability. Clarify your overall judgement and extend each main point with an explanation or relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on advantages, one on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Sequencing is generally clear, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “Moreover,” and “Nevertheless” help readers follow the discussion. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. The opening moves from practical experience to a conditional statement and then to your position without a smooth link, while “Nevertheless” introduces a conclusion that does not clearly resolve the comparison. Some references, such as “this” in “this can lead to more expense,” are not precise. Use linking phrases to show the relationship between ideas, and make the conclusion directly refer back to your judgement about which side outweighs the other.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “practical work,” “job opportunities,” “skilled candidates,” and “financial settlement.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main points, but the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making meaning less clear. For instance, “practical life experience is concerning as a skill” does not express the intended idea naturally, and “practical work palce” and “practial work placement” contain spelling errors. “Family issues” is also broad for the specific concern about caring for ill parents. Build a more precise range around work placements, employability, costs, and caring responsibilities, and check spelling and natural word combinations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional forms such as “If undergraduate students are more capable in their first job then it will be easy…” and a clause beginning “if any candidate have ill parents.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction can make the reader pause. For example, “If a real work experience … included” lacks a correctly formed main clause, “a undergraduate student” has an article error, and “there are can be” is not a valid construction. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “Nevertheless , There.” Practise building accurate conditional sentences and checking each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

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